


Stranger Things Have Happened

by DeamStellarus



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mutant Powers, Mutant Reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Female Character, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Tony Stark, Reader Can Be Any Ethnicity, Reader-Insert, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 16:46:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14524953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeamStellarus/pseuds/DeamStellarus
Summary: You'd spent your whole life hiding your ability from the world. When you ended up in a dark alley, you never expected to be saved by Tony Stark. But when you met your soulmate, you knew it was fate.





	1. Here Comes the Sun

 

          If you had known you were going to be running down the streets of Manhattan in the rain, you wouldn’t have worn these heels. Or this dress, if you were being honest with yourself. Not that you’d had a choice in the matter. The rain pelted hard against your face as you tore down the sidewalk, bumping into people, ignoring their disgruntled stares, trying your hardest not to look behind you. You made it three more blocks before you turned the corner into a dark alleyway to stop and catch your breath, dress clinging to your small frame, long hair sticking to your face and back. One hand on your chest, you took deep breaths as you peaked around the corner to see if He was still following you. You almost didn’t see Him at first, under the sea of umbrellas, but in the light of a storefront, you caught the flash of His blonde hair.

          You shrunk back into the shadows of the alley and looked around. You knew if you didn’t do something fast, He would get to you again and you’d never get away. As quickly as you could, you morphed, and crawled behind the dumpster, underneath a crumpled newspaper. The rain didn’t let up but as loud as it was, you still heard pounding footsteps halt at the opening of the alley. They slowly crept forward, stopping near you. You squeezed your eyes shut and held your breath, hoping He’d move on soon. Just as you were giving up hope, a door in the alley slammed open from an Italian restaurant, as a cook came out lugging two garbage bags behind him. You heard the men talk as you stayed where you were, and after the cook went back inside, let out a sigh of relief when He finally ran out of the alley and down the street.

          You’d been running for what felt like years, and now you had a chance to let your guard down. How had you let it get this far? You should’ve gotten out the first time He saw you shift. To be fair, you hadn’t suspected he’d be anything like this when you met Him. He had a charming smile and broad shoulders and you’d just been getting off your shift as a waitress when you bumped into each other, and He asked you out for coffee. That was three months before He saw you change. You’ll never forget the look of slight panic and surprise on his face that quickly changed to something far more sinister when you had morphed into a black panther in the apartment, when you thought you were alone. You’d stretched out across the fluffy rug in the living room only to hear a gasp, and you’d stopped, frozen in place, waiting to see how he’d react. Hardly anyone knew of your ability, except your parents who had died in a car crash when you were 18. They’d been afraid what people might think, worried that you’d be bullied or that the government would want to take you away and experiment. To your surprise, He didn’t run or scream, but if he had, you would have been much better off.

          Since that afternoon, He asked you to transform several times a day, pushing you to see what kinds of animals you could change into and was especially pleased when he learned you could morph into humans to, looking almost identical, the only difference were your eyes didn’t change back from the chocolate brown they naturally were. He frowned at this but made a note on his tablet. In hindsight, this should have tipped you off, but you were so relieved that he wasn’t afraid of you, that you’d put that nagging feeling in the back of your mind. Every evening at five o’clock, he’d have a phone call. ‘Business’ he’d said when you’d asked, but you weren’t stupid, you’d seen enough movies to notice something was very, very wrong. You’d overheard him mention ‘fur’ and ‘scales’ during a call when he thought you were in the kitchen, and you instantly knew he was talking about you. You’d panicked and tried to grab your purse and keys to run out, only for him to stop you at the door.

           “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

          “Just running to the corner mart, we’re out of milk,” you said, hoping you sound less anxious than you felt, making a mental note to work on your acting skills.

          “I don’t think so, Babe. You’re coming with me,” he said, how you hated that stupid pet name. Grabbing your arm in a tight hold, he dragged you to the spare room turned office and shoved you up against the far wall. Opening the laptop on the desk, he turned on a video call and adjusting the camera to fit you in the frame. You could see several faces on the screen, men who seemed to be in a metal warehouse of sorts; the one in the middle had a scar across his face. “Babe, show them what you can do.”

          “Uhm…” You stood there with your arms wrapped around yourself, shifting on your feet.

          “Babe, now. They’re waiting.” He leaned in to whisper, “Don’t make me look bad in front of my boss.” You looked at him and shook your head, pleading with your eyes for him to stop this. You’d told him you didn’t want anyone else to know your secret, but he wasn’t having it.

           “Sorry, Boss. She’s a little camera shy. You know how women can be. We’ll try again tomorrow.” He got off the call, then immediately turned toward you, grabbed you by the shoulders then slammed you into the wall. That was the first night of many that he would abuse you, hitting you until you complied with his demands. He sneered when he saw your the words of your soulmark inked on the left side of your ribs one night: “‘Well aren’t you a pretty bunny.’ Ha! Pretty pathetic maybe.” Yeah, well take a look in the mirror, Asshole.

           For the next few weeks, you’d do evening check-ins with his boss, with the challenge of changing into the different people they’d show you pictures of. It seemed they were content with what you were giving them as the newest plan was to meet them in person at some fancy restaurant. Tonight. This was the first time you’d be able to leave the apartment in weeks, after him having made you quit your waitressing job. He’d watched you like a hawk in the apartment, rarely leaving you unattended. This was your chance, you needed to come up with a plan to get away. He had you wear a revealing dress that both covered your arms but clung to your curves, and heels, insisting you looked like you belong, and making sure you wore tights to hide the bruises on your legs to keep from making people in the restaurant suspicious.

           Upon entering the stuffy restaurant, you spotted the table with the various men you recognized from the video calls, getting a bad feeling in your gut. Throughout dinner, you could feel His hand on your knee, squeezing every so often to remind you that He was there and you were His to do with as He wanted, while they talked about how valuable of an asset you could be with more discipline. You made a mental note of the exits in the building, the front doors would be too obvious, there were no side doors, but you could bet there was one in the kitchen. Just then, He looked at you and grinned. This only fueled your anxiety, and as the man He referred to as ‘Boss” mentioned to someone on his phone about bringing the van around while staring directly at you, you began to panic. You took a deep breath, turned and asked Him to use the restroom and had to force yourself to walk calmly toward the back of the restaurant. You glanced toward your table, and upon seeing they weren’t watching you, you made for the kitchen, running through and exiting into an alley, then taking off down the street, hearing your name called out behind you.

           That’s how you ended up here. You curled in on yourself more, your nose tucked into your tail to keep warm, and settled in with a plan to stay for a few hours and then, what? You hadn’t gotten that far with your getaway plan. You suppose you could maybe try a friend’s house in few hours, but where would you go? You’re not exactly the social butterfly, not with Him watching your every move anyway. Hm, you guess Amy is usually awake pretty late, maybe she could take you in? You hadn’t even noticed how exhausted you were as you closed your eyes, unaware of the man landing in the alley with a thud.

  


  
 

          Tony flew over Manhattan in the Iron Man suit, having left the tower after Bruce forced him to leave and take a break for once, by locking him out of the lab for two hours due to the Time Out Protocol Pepper insisted he implement. Why, oh why did he have to listen to her? He’s so close to finishing updates of his nanotech, he just needs a few more days. Deep in thought, he almost missed F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice alerting him of a problem.

           “Boss! There’s a strong distress call of sorts coming from 300 meters north of you.” the AI said.

           “A distress call? Coming from Manhattan?” he asked skeptically. “Are you sure, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

           “No, I’m just making it up.” Tony rolled his eyes at the snarky comeback; the amount of sarcasm he programmed into the AI was probably a bit too much but what’s the point of dishing it if he couldn’t take it? “It seems like it’s coming from the alley. I’m detecting a lone heat signature.”

           Tony located the alley and landed with a thud, looking around at his filthy surroundings. Upon finding the area empty save for trash, he was ready to chock it all up to nothing, something he’d have to fix with F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s programming when he got back to the lab, when he would  _finally_  be let back into the lab, that is. He was just about to take off when he heard a soft but strangled meowing, coming from by the dumpster. He turned on his infrared camera and found the source. Pulling off the crumpled, soaked newspapers, he discovered a black cat. He scooped her up and opened his mask to get a better look.

           “Uh, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Tell me you didn’t send me here because of a cat,” he said while inspecting the feline. With closer observation, he could tell she was shaking but had clean fur, despite the heavy rain and having found her in an alley. Though there wasn’t a collar, the cat had a thin chain around its neck with a small pendant that said your name.

           “I’m detecting an anomaly in its DNA, Boss,” said the AI, choosing not to respond to Tony’s attitude.

           “Anomaly? What kind of anomaly?” Tony asked incredulously. He brought the cat close to his face, seeing if there was anything noticeably different with its physical appearance. However, as he was lowering his arms, the cat began to change into a girl, seemingly in her early twenties. He was shocked to say the least, but that shock quickly changed to anger and pity as he eyed the bruises that peeked out of the neckline of her dress. They marked her collarbone and exposed shoulders, and he suspected more were underneath the dress and tights. He pulled her close to chest as she shivered, trying to give her some warmth, but in the Iron Man suit, it wasn’t translating well. The girl’s eyes opened briefly, mostly dazed and not focusing on much as she let out a whimper. He made an easy decision then to take her with him back to the Tower, taking off into the sky, wondering what this poor girl has been through.

           After arriving back at the tower, he took her to the medical wing, and had the doctors and nurses start in right away. After a couple hours, she was settled into a hospital room, and Tony pulled up a chair right to her bed. He looked over her freshly cleaned skin and as he’d expected, there was bruising everywhere, including her ribs, hips, arms, and legs, but to his relief, the X-Rays didn’t show any breaks or fractures. The bruises weren’t all fresh, it would seem, as he spotted the green and yellow of healing beside the deep purple of fresh abuse. He rested his elbows on the bed, his chin on his knuckles, as he looked at her face, waiting for her to wake up. How could someone do this? He wondered. He heard the door open, but didn’t glance up, expecting it to be a nurse when a voice spoke.

           “F.R.I.D.A.Y. said you’d be down here.” Tony looked at Bruce. “Who is she?”

           Tony shook his head, and told him your name from the necklace he found around your neck. “I have no idea who she is, but Bruce. When I found her, she was a cat.”

           There was confusion in Bruce’s eyes. “A cat like an actual feline?”

           Tony only nodded, and was about to respond when they both heard to move in the bed.

 

     

 

          You felt yourself be lifted but were too tired to believe it was more than your head playing tricks on you. You felt yourself change back to human and you briefly worried that you’d be exposed in the alleyway, but couldn’t bring yourself to move. You tried to open your eyes but saw red and gold metal that didn’t make sense to you and you closed your eyes. You felt the wind rushing past you and thought you heard a voice but everything was too fuzzy to understand, so you pushed that to the back of your mind and proceeded to drift back to sleep.

          You heard people talking, you didn’t recognize the voices, but you realized you were in a bed and don’t remember going back home. Not home, to the apartment. That place was never home, more like a halfway place to Hell. You opened your eyes and found yourself in a hospital room, slowly began to sit up, taking note of the stiffness of your limbs, when you locked eyes on the two men in the room. One had curly dark hair and kind, gentle eyes. The other made you gasp as you recognize the face as that of Tony Stark. With wide eyes, you finished sitting up and unconsciously settled farther away from them on the bed.

          “Hey, hey. It’s okay! We’re not going to hurt you. Do you know who I am?” Tony asked. You nodded. Well duh, who in the 21st century doesn’t? “Good. This is Dr. Bruce Banner. I found you in an alley a few hours ago, but...uhm… you weren’t yourself…” You looked at him in confusion, but then it dawned on you; you must have still been a cat. Great, you’re probably here for them to experiment on you too. He must have seen the panic on your face because he said, “Hey hey hey. Calm down, it’s alright. You’re okay. That’s one hell of a party trick though.” You cracked a smile. Bruce coughed pointedly behind him. “Right. Uhm, do you know who you are?” You nodded and told him your name. “Good! Is there someone we can call for you?”

          You shook your head. “Oh.” His brows furrowed. “You know, we found these bruises on you.” Panic began to flood your features again until he said, “...and by the looks of it, I’d say you’re safer staying with me. Us. Here at the tower. If you want.”

          You couldn’t believe your ears. Tony Stark, the Tony Stark, was offering you to stay in his tower. This was not how you expected tonight to go. Maybe you would have slipped on a late bus going anywhere Journey-style; ending up in the Avengers Tower wasn’t on the to-do list. You nodded, grateful that you at least didn’t have to go back to that apartment tonight, to Him.

          “Great! I’ll grab the doctors to clear you, and then I’ll take you to your room.” He exited the room, leaving Bruce and you alone. Awkward.

           “You don’t have to be afraid here,” he said, breaking the silence. “He’s a good guy, we all are good people. We have more than enough room to spare.” He hesitated. “If you ever need to talk, about what happened with those,” he said, nodding to the bruises, “you can come talk to me anytime. I’m usually in the lab.” He looked like he was waiting for you to respond.

           “Thanks, Dr. Banner,” you said, smiling genuinely for the first time in who knows how long. He waved and headed out the door, quietly shutting it behind him.

           A few moments later Tony came back with a doctor, Dr. Cho, who cleared you, and he helped you out of bed. You realized you had been dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt that both dwarfed your petite features. You stood on shaky legs, but he steadied you with an arm gently around your shoulders, moving his arm back to his side after you were stable.

           “I feel like a newborn deer,” you mumbled, mostly to yourself.

           “Well, welcome to the world, Bambi,” he smirked.

           You held onto his arm as you slid into the slippers they provided you and your grip didn’t change as he led you to an elevator at the end of the corridor. Stepping inside, you looked at all the buttons, amazed by how many floors this building actually had.

           “F.R.I.D.A.Y., bring us to my floor,” Tony said. You looked at him, tilting your head until a voice said, “Yes, Boss.” Your eyes were wide as he laughed at the look on your face. “That’s F.R.I.D.A.Y., my AI. She’s everywhere, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call out and ask.” You quirked your eyebrow.

           “You have your AI call you ‘Boss’?” you asked, mentally facepalming. You really had to work on thinking before you speak.

           He laughed. “Yes, it was a joke at first but…”

           “You like it, no, you love it now. Secretly, of course.” He smiled, shaking his head.

           The elevator door opened and let you out in what you could only assume was the penthouse. It was massive, with a large living space on one side opening up to floor to ceiling windows and a small kitchenette across the room. There was a short hallway that led to two rooms. He walked you to the one on the right, it looked to be a guest room. Your jaw dropped. You don’t think he is able to do anything small, as the room was large, bigger than your living room at the apartment, with a plush queen-sized bed on one wall with a large tv on the opposite, an ensuite bathroom, and thick rugs over the wood floors.

           “This will be your room tonight. Your actual room will be finished tomorrow afternoon and I’ll help you move in. There are some extra sweatpants and t-shirts in the dresser, feel free to use anything you want in here.” You nodded, trying to take it all in. “Tomorrow you’ll probably meet most of the Avengers, some are out on a mission but should be back late tomorrow night. Go ahead and get settled. If you need anything, remember just to call out for F.R.I.D.A.Y. and she’ll get whatever you need or she’ll call me, okay?”

           “Sure thing, Boss,” you said, winking. You sat on the bed, running your fingers along the soft blankets.

           He hovered in the doorway for another moment before turning to leave, but was stopped when he felt arms around his middle.

           “Thank you. For all of this.” You felt him tense as you hugged him, and sighed when you finally felt his arms reciprocate the action around your shoulders.

           “No problem, Kiddo.”

           You stepped back and waved, watching him walk down the hall toward the elevator, presumably going back to the lab. You went to the bathroom, splashing water on your face and looking into the mirror. Is this a dream? You knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth though, so you patted your face dry, then shuffled back to the bed. You sunk into the mattress and it felt like laying on a cloud. For the first night in months, you weren’t worried about Him as you drifted off to sleep.


	2. Awkward Encounters

 

          You woke up the next morning with the sun shining on your face. You were so content that the realization that you were not, in fact, in your room in your apartment didn’t occur to you until a few moments later. Then you started to panic, until you heard a voice call out.

          “Miss, your heart rate indicates that you are panicking. Please try to calm down. You are at the Avengers Tower. I have alerted the Boss that you are awake,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, and you suddenly remembered the previous night. Slowly, you got out of bed, your body aching but oddly feeling more refreshed than you have in months. Sliding on the slippers and pulled on a hoodie, went and brushed your teeth with the new toothbrush you found, then cracked open the bedroom door, peeking into the hallway. It was empty as you made your way into the living room, walking up to the giant windows and taking in the view of New York. You’d never seen so much of New York all at once, it was almost calming being so high up above the fast-paced city. You didn’t hear the ding of the elevator, so the following voice startled you.

          “Well good morning, Alleycat!” Tony said, taking you by surprise. You jumped, turned to see him a few feet away. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you hungry?” You were about to respond as your stomach answered for you in what must have been the loudest growl that echoed in the room. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed.

          “It would appear so,” you said, pulling at your sleeves.

          “Come along, let’s go to the kitchen and see what Cap is making for everyone.” Right. You were going to meet the Avengers today. Suddenly, you were nervous. They’re just normal people, people who just happened to be superheroes.

          He started back for the elevator but turned to see you still glued to the same spot, feeling unprepared. What if you were intruding on their home? Technically you were. What if they didn’t like you being there? He held out his hand and you hesitantly took it, following him into the elevator. He pressed a button with a big A on it, upon closer inspection you saw it was the Avengers logo. “This is the button for the Avengers common room floor. This is also where the kitchen is located. You can come down here whenever you’d like.”

          The doors opened to a truly impressive common room. There was a 70 inch TV on the wall above a fireplace, facing several large (and expensive) couches. Just like in Tony’s room, there were floor to ceiling windows on the far wall. There was a bar off to the side that looked fully stocked. To the right was a long table that looked like it was able to seat at least twelve, and beyond that was a kitchen, with what looked to be state of the art appliances. There were a few people sitting on the couches, watching the news: a man with longer brown hair, a woman with long reddish hair, and a man that looked...is he purple? You recognized the brunet man though as Sergeant James Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Seated at the breakfast counter was a man with deep, warm skin you recognized immediately as the Falcon, and the man at the stove flipping pancakes was none other than Captain America himself.

          “Look alive people, we have company,” Tony said pulling you towards the kitchen. “Something smells good, Capsicle.” Everyone stopped and looked at you, some doing a double take and you cowered a little behind Tony. When did you get to be so shy? He chuckled. “They don’t bite, Alleycat. Mostly.”

          “Speak for yourself, Stark,” Sam said winking at you. “I’m Sam Wilson.” He said to you, holding out his hand for you to shake. You accepted it and gave him your name.

          “I know who you are,” you giggled lightly. “You’re the Falcon.”

“Ha! See Tony?! What did I tell you? The people love me!” Sam said, to which Tony rolled his eyes.

          “Steve Rogers, ma’am,” Steve said, holding out his hand, and you took it, staring at him in awe. He really was as anatomically perfect as he seemed to be on TV.

          “Over there is Bucky Barnes, the previous Winter Soldier, Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch, and the Vision,” Tony said, gesturing to the people on the couch. You waved a little to them. “Here, take a seat and Cap will get you a plate.” He said pulling out a seat at the breakfast counter for you, then making a beeline for the coffee machine. Even though you’ve only just met him, you’re sure he relies on the caffeine after having spotted the bags under his eyes. He probably doesn’t get much sleep.

          Steve set a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of you and Sam passed you the syrup. They looked at you expectantly, so you grabbed you fork and took a bite and released a small moan. Then stopped, and looked up blushing. They laughed.

          “Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten and this is amazing,” you said after swallowing. “Thank you.”

           “It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” Steve and Tony exchanged a look. You wondered briefly if Tony had told the rest of them about you.

          “Go on and eat up, Selina Kyle. Doc wants to check your progress.” You made a face at the nickname but deciding it could be worse. Guess we’re gonna stick with the cat-theme then. You shrugged and began eating, practically inhaling the food. Under any other circumstances, you’d probably be more embarrassed but you couldn’t find it in you to feel that way at the moment. You finished your food, then thanked Steve and waved to the rest as you followed Tony a little more confidently to the elevator. Once inside he hit the button for the medical wing, then he looked over to you, taking note of your more relaxed state, calmer than you had been when he’d first seen you this morning.

          “You’ll meet Clint and Natasha tonight, Hawkeye and Black Widow, when they get back from their mission. Thor is currently in Asgard, and Bruce is most likely in the lab. Rhodey should be around here somewhere,” he said as the doors opened. He brought you back to the room you’d been in last night, where you formally met Dr. Cho. She looked you over and asked you about any pain you might have. You didn’t have much, you’d been to used to His treatment and had started ignoring the lasting pain that came with the punches. She prescribed you some pain meds just in case and sent you on your way. Afterwards, Tony brought you down to his lab.

          “This is my workshop,” he said proudly. Looking around, you couldn’t help but notice all of the versions of Iron Man suits. There must have been at least 50. The space was large, half of the area dedicated to different inventions, completed and half-done, of Tony’s, along with papers disorganized spread across the tables, knicknacks everywhere you turned, a well used coffee machine, and a couch with a pillow and blanket on it. The other half of the area was neater by far, and housed the projects of Dr. Banner, who was working on a project as we walked in. He waved and gave a small smile, you returned the wave and grinned back. Tony brought you to a stool at one of his tables and handed you a device. It looked like a phone, but sleeker than you’d ever seen.

         “It’s a Stark phone. It’s more advanced than regular phones, and has F.R.I.D.A.Y. already integrated in it. All of our numbers are programmed into it, but you can download anything you want on it. It’s yours,” he said. He looked nervous, like he wanted, no-- needed, your opinion.

          “This is really cool. Thanks, Mr. Stark.” You said smiling. If you kept this up, your cheeks were going to hurt by the end of the day. He visibly relaxed.

          “Great! Now I’m going to work on some things down here and you are more than welcome to stay with us, or you can explore the Tower if you want. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can help you if you get lost.” You nodded.

          “Thank you, Mr. Stark. I think I’ll go look around if you don’t mind,” you said getting up.

          “Please. Mr. Stark was my father. Call me Tony,” he said, gesturing toward the door.

          Once in the elevator you didn’t know where to go. An idea occurred to you. “Uhm, hello? F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

          “Yes, Miss,” the AI responded.

“What types of things are there to do around here?”

          “There is a theater room, and a game room. There’s an indoor pool on the floor with the gym, as well as an outdoor pool with a deck for sunbathing. There’s also a library if you’d like to read.”

           It didn’t take you any time at all to respond that you’d like to go to the library level. You were shocked by the amount of books in the room, you hadn’t thought Tony Stark, technological genius would bother with having a library, much less a well-stocked one. You perused the shelves, finding an old classic and settled down in one of the over-sized chairs tucked in a corner by the window. You got comfortable, too comfortable it would seem, as that’s where Tony found you several hours later. He nudged your shoulder and you jerked awake, blinking the sleep out of your eyes.

          “That’s a good look, Sleeping Beauty,” he joked. You were confused until you felt the sleep marks for the book on your face. So you did the mature thing: you stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled. “Get up. You haven’t had lunch yet and we don’t need Cap thinking I’m trying to turn you into me or something.” He winked.

          You followed him up to the kitchen, and Wanda was making sandwiches while Vision chopped some veggies to dip in a ranch sauce. Wanda smiled at you when you walked in, passing you a plate. You sat at the table with the rest of the superheroes. Wow, that was a weird sentence. Never before did you believe you’d be in this position. You all were eating quietly, before Bucky broke the silence.

           “So, tell us about yourself,” he said. His demeanor was intense but he had gentle eyes. The rest of the group leaned in slightly.

           “Uhm, well,” you began, not knowing really where to start. “I’m 23, I am a waitress, er was a waitress, I suppose. I had to quit that when He made me start testing.”

           “Who are you talking about, Kitten?” Tony asked. His grip on his mug had gotten a little tighter.

           “My boyfriend, er, well, ex-boyfriend now, Mason Thompson. He found out about my ability a few months ago by accident, and since then has been testing me and working with his bosses to do...I don’t know really. Last night, he took me to meet with them in person at a fancy restaurant, and were making a deal of sorts, but before they could take me, I faked having to go to the bathroom and ran out through the kitchen. I kept running until I stopped to take a breath and then hid in an alley until he left,” you said. You’d been looking at your hands during your story. You looked up then at Tony, “I guess that’s when you found me.”

           Tony nodded, eyebrows furrowed. He looked pale and the grip was so tight on his mug, his knuckles turned white and you were nervous for the mug. You supposed he had more than enough money to replace that one, or several thousand, should he want.

          “Why would they want you? What kind of testing?” Steve asked. Oh, right. They didn’t know about this.

          “I can, uh, transform into different animals, and uhm, people. When Tony found me, I was a cat.”

          If they were surprised, they hid it well. Probably comes with being a superhero, nothing is out of the ordinary when everything is.

          “Would you mind showing us?” Bucky asked, only to get elbowed by Steve, who pulled a face that you would recognize as the Captain America face. Probably had a special voice that accompanied it too. “What?” Bucky asked, rubbing his ribs.

           You shrugged before standing up.

           “You don’t have to, you know,” Tony said, putting his hand over yours, looking worried for the first time since last night. You couldn’t quite put a finger on why but you felt safe here. Maybe it was because you were in a room full of superheroes or maybe it was the compassion they’ve already shown you after only having known you for less than a day. So you nodded but stood up anyway, backing up a couple feet. You took a deep breathe and shifted into a cat, looking up at them and observing their faces. You gave them another moment and then turned into a grey wolf, walking around the table once before shifting into a snake and slithering up next to Sam, who proceeded to jump and fall out his chair. The group laughed as you morphed into Sam, taking a seat in your chair and making the face he had when you’d scared him. Bucky was laughing so hard, he was gasping for air. You shifted back to your normal self and giggled lightly, winking at Sam.

          “Oh I see how it is,” he said taking his seat again. “I’ve got my eye on you.” He pointed to his eyes then yours. You grinned back at him.

          “Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we will keep you safe from Him,” Wanda said with a smile. The rest of them nodding in agreement, and you were grateful to have been found by this group of people.

          The topic switched off of you and as you finished your food, you were starting to feel a little out of place at the table. As if you were intruding on their space. “If you’d like, I can help you pick out clothes and have them ordered here. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to keep wearing those clothes, they look rather big on you,” Wanda said. It was like she read your mind. You nodded, thankful for something else to do.

          “Oh, before you go, your room is ready,” Tony said. “I put you on Wanda’s floor, if that’s alright.”

          “That’s perfect. Thank you,’ you said as Wanda pulled you out of the room.

          You and Wanda headed to your new room, and when you opened the door, it was similar to the guest room in the penthouse. The biggest difference was the desk that also had a laptop on it. It was perfect. Wanda grabbed the laptop and sat on the bed. You joined her and began looking for clothes that fit your style. In an hour, you had a full wardrobe picked out, ready to be delivered tomorrow morning. You looked at the price and the realization of where you really were and what that meant for you started to overwhelm you. You don’t don’t deserve all of this attention.

         “Don’t worry about the price. Tony is more than willing to spend it on you, and has more than enough money to spare,” Wanda said, sensing your worry. “It’s okay, there’s no need to feel undeserving.” But how did she--? Wanda smiled. “It’s part of my abilities. I can read minds and sense emotions, among other more...powerful...things.”

          Wanda patted your shoulder. She wanted to go out to the common room, but you told her you wanted to take a shower but you’d meet her there in a little while. She left and you took a deep breath. Maybe that was all you needed to relax and accept this new reality. After your jasmine-scented shower, you put on the fresh clothes you found in the drawers. They still dwarfed you but you felt better than you had in such a long time. You pulled a comb through your long, wet hair, slid on the slippers, and made your way to the common room.

          You found Wanda on one of the couches cuddled up next to a slightly stiff looking Vision. They must be soulmates, you think. You weren’t quite sure what to make of him yet; he doesn’t talk much. The other couches contained Steve and Sam on one, while Bucky scowled at Sam from the other. You chuckled softly as you made your way into the room. You felt their eyes on your exposed arms and crossed them, trying to hide the largest bruise on the inside of your right arm. Not quite sure where to sit, you hovered near them until Bucky patted the spot next to him, putting his arm on the back of the couch. You took a seat and fell immediately into him. Embarrassed, you sat up and scoot a little away from him, but he gently pulled you back.

         “I don’t mind, doll,” he said with a smile, and you could instantly understand why he was considered a ladies’ man before the war. You’d been to the exhibit of Captain America and the rest of the Howling Commandos, of course, but nothing had prepared you for seeing Bucky’s grin in person. You didn’t think it’d be so soon after Him that you’d feel comfortable this close to another man, but there was none of the men in this room had reacted nearly the same nor made you feel like an object since they’d seen your ability.

          You relaxed into his side and the six of you watched some made-for-TV-movies when the elevator dinged. You thought nothing of it until a loud voice called, “Hey! Who ate all my chips? Wilson!?”

          Not expecting the outburst, you morphed unconsciously, cowering next to Bucky. You felt their eyes on you, but your attention had been drawn to the new people in the room.You watched as a woman with red hair and a body that most would kill for walked into the room. Following close behind her was man who had dirty blonde hair, and a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. Black Widow and Hawkeye, the latter of whom was holding a now empty bag of barbeque chips.

          “Did you hear me?” he asked. “What are you all looking at?” He looked down to see your fluffy body on the couch. “When did we get a bunny?” He knelt down to pet you. “Well, aren’t you a pretty bunny,” he said smiling.

           The rest of the group couldn’t help but laugh, while the two assassins stood there looking confused. You, on the other hand, were mortified. Not only had you met two more Avengers in animal form, but one of them just so happened to be your soulmate. At least he said the words on your ribs. You got up and hopped out of there as fast as you could to the elevators that thankfully opened as you approached them. When you were safely hidden inside, you changed back and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. You got to your floor and crawled into bed, hiding under the covers, hoping the bed would swallow you whole.

          You don’t know how long it had been but you woke to the sound of a knock at your door and then the door opening. Tony stepped in and gently shut it behind him. He carried a tray with what looked like Chicken Parmesan.

          “Hey, kiddo. You alright?” he asked, awkwardly setting the tray on the desk. You shrugged. “I know you hadn’t planned to meet them this way, but even Legolas is kicking himself for scaring you away.”

          “It wasn’t just that,” you hesitated, not knowing if you should tell him. He waited, and you wondered if he was normally this patient or if this was new for him. “Uhm, he kinda, said my words…”

          A look passed over his face. “Oh. Huh. Did you, uh, say them back?” You could have smacked yourself. Of course you hadn’t thought to say anything back, too embarrassed in the moment. You shook your head.

          “I ran off before I could say anything. He probably thinks I’m just some stupid girl.” You fell back onto your bed, pulling a pillow over your face.

          “Alright, no more self-deprecating remarks. That’s not who you are.”

          “You don’t even really know me.” You said into the pillow. You winced, glad your face was hidden.

           He replied without missing a beat. “Hm, be that as it may, Grumpy Cat, I am a good judge of character.” With that he opened the door, but before he stepped out, he said, “Just remember, you can’t stay in here forever, nor can you hide from a master assassin.” He shut the door behind him and for the rest of the night, you contemplated what you were going to do about Clint. Your soulmate.

           By morning, you’d decided Tony was right, you couldn’t stay in your room forever, nor hide from the assassin for too long. But why rush to him when you didn’t _have_ to, right? Damn, when had you become such a baby? I suppose a few months of living with Him would change anyone.

“Where are the Avengers currently, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Captain Rogers is in the gym with Mr. Wilson, Sergeant Barnes, and Ms. Romanov. Ms. Maximoff and Vision are in the common room. Boss is the lab with Dr. Banner. And Mr. Barton is the shooting and archery range.”

“Thank you.” Alright. Well you suppose you could go down to sit with Wanda, but you might be intruding on the soulmates’ time together so you thought against it. Maybe you could sit in and watch the rest of them train, or would that be weird? There was a knock at your door and several workers carrying boxes greeted you. You opened the first one and realized it was the clothes you and Wanda had ordered yesterday. You dug through the boxes and pulled on a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a thin pullover. Pulling your hair into a long braid, a la Katniss, and sliding on a pair of flats, you decided to chance it.

You headed down to the gym level, only to see Clint walking toward a door leading to the locker rooms. You hid behind a pillar until he was out of sight, and then let out the breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. Maybe you should just go back? You were about to turn around when you saw something shiny out of the corner of your eye. There was a vent next to the gym entrance, the door was slightly opened. What if…? No, that would be too weird, right?

          Against your better judgement, you morphed into a cat, and quickly ran across the floor to the vent, nudging it open with your paw. You climbed inside, up and over, following the voices and grunts you could hear from what you assumed was the gym. There were several other vents leading into the gym but you chose the middle of the five. Looking through the grates, you could see Steve spotting Sam on the weight bench, while Natasha and Bucky sparred on the mats. Was she winning? She was. That’s someone you would not, could not, cross.

          As you watched them dance around the mat, you didn’t here the slight shuffling of someone coming up beside you, until they coughed to get your attention. Jumping away  as much as you can in a vent, you turned to see what...who... made the sound. Clint. Just your luck. He looked at you expectantly. You changed back into your normal self and looked just fast his face, not quite looking into his eyes.

          “So, uh, you come here often?” You offered, wincing at how stupid you sounded. His eyes widened as realization flickered across his face.

          “Actually, yes…,” he said, to which you made a mental note to ask about that later as he followed that by saying, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, but are you my soulmate?”

           Your mouth dried up. You closed your eyes and nodded, embarrassment flooding through you, face on fire.. You felt one of his hands cup your cheek. You opened your eyes meeting his blue-green gaze. “It’s alright to be afraid of the unknown. We don’t have to rush into anything. But I would like to get to know you. You know, I always thought I’d meet you at a bar or something,” he laughed. “I’m Clint, by the way.”

          For the second time that day, you could have smacked yourself at how awkward you are. You told him your name. His smile was easily your favorite thing about him.

 


	3. Let Your Hands Do the Talking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are liking it this far! This chapter is mostly fluff. Next chapter we actually start to get into the story and it gets a bit angsty.

           “So, you like pizza?” Clint asks, snapping your attention back to the conversation and not just his eyes.

          “Yeah, uhm who doesn’t?” You replied, feeling slightly less nervous. You talked for a while about favorite colors (his was purple), favorite foods, favorite type of music, even favorite animals. You’d completely forgotten where you were until someone banged on the side of the vent. You both looked through the grates to see the smirking face of the Black Widow herself.

          “You two gonna come out of there this century?”

          “Ugh, Nat,” Clint groaned rolling his eyes, “We’re coming down now.” That seemed to please her and she backed away, stepping back up to Steve, Bucky, and Sam. Clint pushed open the vent door, leaned out and grabbed onto a pole that ran horizontal to the floor. He pulled himself out facing you, then swung to the left and grabbed onto the Swedish ladder on the wall and climbed down. When he got to the bottom, he looked up to you and waved you down. You followed his movements, pulling yourself out and swinging onto the ladder, climbing down slowly. You were only a few feet from the bottom when you slipped. Closing your eyes, you braced yourself for a rough landing, only to realize there were arms holding you. You blinked up and looked into the smiling face of your soulmate and blushed. Damn, so awkward. Someone coughed, and you both looked at the shit-eating grins of two super soldiers and Sam, while Nat was nowhere to be found.

          “Getting kinda friendly there, Barton,” Steve said, his voice was more stern than his face was showing.

          Clint set you down and you all headed to the kitchen to grab some lunch. Though you weren’t really hungry, it was beyond amusing watching the boys shovel food into their mouths like there was no tomorrow. How much do they eat in a day, exactly? After lunch, the guys all wanted to play video games, something about how Clint was undefeated at Mario Kart and Sam couldn’t let that continue. You joined them, sitting on a couch to the side, while the boys all crammed themselves together on the couch in the center. As they raced, your thoughts drifted from the screen to Clint, his face now set in focused determination. He was gentle but still playful with you in the vent. He was so easy to talk to that you hadn’t noticed you were in an unconventional setting until Natasha showed up. Speaking of which, where was she? She intimidated you, for sure, but if you remembered correctly, Clint and Natasha were good friends, so you wanted her to like you.

          “If you stare any harder, your eyes may pop out,” a silky voice said in your ear. You jerked back and turned to face Black Widow kneeling next to you, with that signature smirk. She stood up and held out her hand; you followed her lead, doing the same. “I’m Natasha Romanoff.”

          “I know who you are. I really admire you,” you said gulping, then telling her your name. She looked you up and down, and you had the distinct feeling of being prey, and had the urge to look away. However, you pushed that feeling down, and looked into her eyes, until she smiled, small but genuine.

          “Leave her alone, Nat.” Clint popped up next to her. She didn’t even blink.

          “She’s fine, Clint. We’re just talking,” she said, grabbing you arm and hooking it in hers. You winced as she unintentionally touched the bruising through the sleeve. It didn’t go unnoticed by her. “Walk with me,” she said, heading toward the kitchen.

          You let her pull you along, glancing back at Clint, who looked wary. In the kitchen, she grabbed the kettle off the stove, filled it with water, then set it back down over the flame. She turned around then, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter next to the stove, pinning you to the opposite counter with an intimidating stare.

          “So, what’s your story?”

          You started to feel trapped but took a deep breath anyway, because you’d be damned if you’re going to sound shaky in front of this one woman killing machine. “Well I escaped from my ex, and Tony found me in an alley and brought me back here,” you said. Definitely could have been stronger but at least your voice didn’t shake. You’ll take it. She didn’t respond and you pulled at your sleeves under her gaze. She definitely noticed that, eyes narrowing slightly.

          “Push up your sleeves.”

          You hesitated it, but slowly did as she asked. A look of remorse flashed across her features as the purple and green blotches came into view, her brows pulled together slightly, lips parting. Her eyes flicked up to you, and you met her gaze and held it. She nodded and you swear you her eyes softened just a touch. “So you turn into animals?”

          You nodded, rolling your  sleeves back down. “And, uhm, people too,” you said.

          “Really?” You nod, and think for a minute, before changing into a fennec fox. Her eyes widened slightly, and when you morphed into a tiger, you swear you could see the hint of a smile on her lips.

           “Stop terrorizing her, Romanoff,” Tony said walking into the kitchen. Opening the fridge and looking in, he asks, “How are you doing today, KitKat?”

            You put your finger to your lips and give Nat a pointed looking as you morph into Tony. When he doesn’t hear a response he turns around, chuckling when he sees his clone.

           “Huh, not bad,” he says coming closer, “but you know, not quite as good as the original.” He winked at you, and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, headed out of the kitchen back down to the lab.

           You looked at Natasha and grinned when you saw her own smile. She looked like she wanted to ask you something else, but Clint came in at that moment and she stopped herself.

          “Whatcha doing, Nat? You done torturing her? She’s innocent, I promise.”

           She rolled her eyes at him. “Obviously,” she said, walking toward the elevator. Obviously? Did that mean you passed whatever this test was?

           “Come on, wanna watch that action movie I was talking about earlier?” Clint asked, eyes hopeful. You nodded and smiled, taking his hand as he led you down to the theater room, unaware of the three pairs of eyes watching you from the couch.

           The theater room, as it turns out, is an actual mini theater, with a giant projector screen and large lounging movie theater chairs and couches complete with cup holders. He told you to pick a seat while he set up the movie, so you went down to the front getting comfortable in the plush couch. Clint came back and sat next to you, handing you a blanket and settling down with his arm over the back of the seat, behind your head. You shook out the blanket and laid it across your laps. The movie began and you leaned back. You could’ve sworn you saw him look at you a few times out of the corner of your eye. You decided to bite back that nervousness you felt and slid closer to him, nestling into his side. He was a bit tense for a moment, but you felt him relax, resting his arm around your shoulder and his cheek on your head.

           You had trouble paying attention to the movie after that, but you didn’t care. You enjoyed the warmth his body gave you, feeling safe and loved. Is this what it’s supposed to feel like? You’d never felt like this with Him, never felt this comfortable with anyone after having known them for so little. Was this because he’s your soulmate? You wouldn’t mind if you felt this way for the rest of your life. You weren’t aware that you were drifting in and out until you heard a shutter go off with a bright flash and felt Clint squeeze you tighter briefly. Your eyes popped open to see Natasha walking out of the room, smiling at her phone. The film was finished, credits long forgotten and turning your head to find Clint smiling down at you. You returned it.

          “We’re gonna be late for dinner at this rate,” he said standing up and stretching. “We should probably go now if we want to actually eat.”

           You immediately missed his warmth. He held his hand out and you let him pull you to your feet, then made your way to the kitchen table. Everyone was sitting at table when you both got there, several of them eyeing your locked hands. You sat down next to Tony while Clint sat further down the table across from Nat.

           “What have you been up to Kitkat?” Tony asked with a twinkle in his eye.

           “Clint was, uhm, just showing me the movie room. We watched an action movie.” Why does it feel like he knows something that you don’t?

           “Uh huh… well that’s good, kiddo,” he said, taking a drink from his glass. “Though I think it’s pretty hard to watch a movie through the back of your eyelids.” You blushed as you hear a round of chuckles from the table. You guessed Nat had shown them the picture, you could only imagine how it looked. You shrugged your shoulders, and took a bite of your food. You looked down the table at Clint. He was in what looked to be a serious conversation, except they weren’t talking. Clint was signing something to Natasha with his hands and she responded quickly with sharp movements. She was mad at him about something, you guessed. Oh geeze, was it about you? You didn’t even think. What if they were in a relationship and you came and ruined everything? They would’ve said something by now, right? A hand reached laid on your arm, and you saw it was attached to Wanda. She smiled gently, and you calmed down a bit.

          After dinner, you hung out with Tony in the lab. You liked watching him work, he was so focused and yet so relaxed at the same time. AC/DC was playing over the speakers and he mouthed the lyrics, bobbing his head every now and then. You were on the couch with a book from the library, only half paying attention, lost in thought.

          “Your face is going to get stuck like that, Kitkat,” Tony said smirking. You just shook your head, smiling a bit at his joke. “You thinking about a certain archer?” You nodded shyly. “Does he know, you know, about your “maybe it’s Maybelline” tattoo?” You rolled your eyes at the reference.

           “Ha ha, very funny. Yeah he knows.”

           “And..?”

           “And nothing. We’re gonna get to know each other and be friends first.” You said shrugging, looking down.

           “Well, that’s very noble of Katniss,” he said putting down his tools. “Look, I’m not very good at this sort of...thing... I’m not blind though. It was obvious the way you looked at him at dinner, and the picture Romanoff took of the two of you. If you like him, or when you do, you have to tell him. Men; well, we’re stupid, we don’t know anything unless it’s spelled out to us.” You’d never had a talk like this before, not really. You didn’t really date in high school and your parents were taken from you too soon. How was it you’d met and been saved by this man and in less than three days, he’s already begun to act as a paternal figure for you. You hugged him, then kissed his cheek before you could second guess yourself, and headed off to bed.

           Tony stood there watching you go, with a hand on his cheek. Bruce, having watched and overheard the scene before him, came over, setting a mug of fresh coffee on the table. “Who would have thought, someone who can actually make you speechless,” he chuckled at the face Tony made. He patted Tony on the shoulder and headed out of the lab as well. Tony went back to work, pausing wondering just how his life has changed so much in just three days.

 

 

* * *

   

           The next couple weeks, you found yourself spending most of your time with Clint. In the mornings, he’d eat breakfast with you, then he’d go train for a few hours, meeting you for lunch and then spending the afternoon watching movies or playing video games with you. During the time Clint normally trained, you would either go to the library and read, or visit with Tony while he worked. After a while, you’d noticed Clint and Natasha using sign language to communicate more often, whether it be in passing or if they were just sitting in the same room together. You asked him about it one night, after beating him at Scrabble.

           “Oh, I’m partially deaf. From my past with my father...and then a run in with a really bad guy.” The shock on your face must have been apparent, because he quickly after he said, “Oh no! It’s alright, really it’s fine. Stark made these high-tech hearing aids that are crazy powerful so I can hear just fine. Promise.” He pulled one out and sure enough, it was very small and practically invisible when it was in place. You nodded, but you couldn’t help but feel bad for him. “Nat and I have worked together for so long, and back in the day, sometimes we’d communicate with ASL instead of verbally in case someone hacked us and were listening in. Now it’s just habit. I’m sorry, does it bother you?”

          “No! Not at all. It’s unique,” you said to him smiling. However for the rest of the night, all you could think is how you wanted to do something for him. You decided that night you would learn ASL. It just seemed like the right thing to do. The next morning, you spent several hours looking up videos on the internet to learn ASL. To say you were terrible at it would be an understatement.

          “Why is this so difficult? It’s like my hands don’t want to cooperate with each other,” you complained to Tony, while he tinkered with a glove from one of the suits.

          “Well you’re not a genius like me, KitKat.” You gave glared at him.

          “Do you even know sign language?”

          “Er...well, not exactly, no.” Figures.

          “I just want to impress him. I want him to like me.” Wait. When had you become _that_ girl?

          “Alright stop. Legolas does like you. Anyone with eyes can see that, right Bruce.” Across the room, the doctor nodded. “You don’t need to do anything to impress him except be yourself, okay?” You nodded, hugged him and left. You heard him, you really did, and you appreciated that little pep talk. But right now, you just wanted to spend the rest of the day drilling the motions into your head and hands.

          The rest of the day, and all of the next, you were in your room practicing the movements, sometimes having F.R.I.D.A.Y. quiz you. By the end of the end of the following week, you were exhausted, having hardly left your room, so focused on learning the language that you hadn’t realized you isolated yourself. You passed out on your bed, satisfied to have learned most conversational ASL words and phrases. You jerked awake when a hand on your shoulder shook you. It was the last person you expected.

          “How can I help you, Natasha?” You asked, groaning as you sat up, rubbing your eyes.

          “What do you think you’re doing stringing Clint along like this?”

          You blinked. What? “What are you talking about?”

          “You’ve hardly spent any time with him, and he’s driving me crazy because of you!” Her eyes were narrowed and you were immediately reminded why you didn’t want to cross her as your mind flashed to her sparring Bucky weeks ago. “So, what is it? Is it that he has hearing aids? He told me he told you about them. Is that the problem? Because big deal. He’s your supposedly your soulmate, though I haven’t seen proof.” She stopped to take a breath and her tone softened slightly. “He likes you, you know. He deserves better than this.”

          “I know,” you said looking down. “I like him too.”

          “What?”

          “I like him too,” you said more confidently.

          “Then why have you been avoiding him?”

          You sighed. “I’ve been practicing ASL. I wanted to impress him, but it’s taking me a lot longer to learn the movements.”

           She blinked at you. You think you’ve actually actually managed to stun her. She opens her mouth to say something when the door bursts open.

          “Nat leave her alone!” Clint stops and pants. “F.R.I.D.A.Y….said you were...in here.”

           She raised her perfectly arched eyebrow at him, gave you a pointed look, then walked out, shaking her head.

           “Are you okay?” he asked, once he could breathe. You giggled.

           “I’m fine, Clint.” He seemed to relax for a second before he realized where he was.

           “Sorry for barging in here. She gets this look in her eye sometimes and you don’t think she’ll act on it, at least I didn’t--”

          “Clint.”

          “--and I didn’t see her leave the room because I was playing Mario Party with the guys and Sam was being a sore loser and--” He started pacing.

         “Clint!”

          He finally stopped. “Yeah?”

 _I like you_ , you signed at him. He blinked and looked at your face, then back at your hands when you signed it again. _I like you a lot._ His face broke out into the biggest smile you’d ever seen.  

 _I like you too_ , he signed back. The smile was contagious because you’re sure you were grinning like an idiot, but you didn’t care. He stepped up to you, one hand cupping you cheek, the other on your hip, pulling you closer. “Is this okay?” he asked. You nodded nervously.

          You laid your hands on his chest, and he leaned forward and kissed you. His lips were a little chapped, but softer than you’d thought and you felt complete. Like the missing puzzle piece had been found and fit into place. You weren’t sure how long you stood like that, but you had goofy smiles on your face when you broke apart, out of breath.

          “So is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” He asked.

          “I was trying to learn ASL to impress you.” Your head ducked down.

          With his finger under your chin, he lifted you head back up to meet his gaze. “Kitten, you didn’t need to do this to impress me. You’ve been amazing since the first day I met you.” You blushed and wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling his loop around your waist. You buried your nose in his neck inhaling a scent that was all Clint.

          “Wanna order take out and watch a crappy movie?” he whispered in your ear.

           You leaned back and grinned. “Always.”


	4. When Demons Come to Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger Warning* This chapter contains torture and psychological abuse to the reader.

 

          “Do you ever miss?” You sat next Clint as he shot arrows at the moving targets in the archery range.

          “Nope,” he says winking at you, then taking aim once again and releasing the arrow for another bullseye. You roll your eyes.

          “Show off,” you muttered to yourself. You’d been watching him all morning, entranced by the way the muscles of his back and arms moved. It was all so fluid. He may not be as large and statuesque as Steve or Bucky, but he was built enough and his arms were masterpieces. Not that you’d let him know. No need to let it go to his head.

          “Teach me,” you said, standing up and grabbing a practice bow off the rack on the wall behind you.

          “Uhm, Sweetheart, no offense, but uh…”

          “But what?”

          “You’re not exactly the most coordinated.” You glared at him, hoping you looked menacing. Though with your luck, not to mention standing at a whopping five foot three, you weren’t exactly terrifying.

          “Aw, Kitten, you’re cute.” He kissed you on your forehead. “Go stand in position then.” He grabbed a few arrows off the wall while you tried to stand like he had all morning. You held one of his arrows in your right hand and the bow in your left, notching the arrow and pulling it back with the string. “Whoa, hey hey. Wait. Okay first off, no. Here.” He switched out the arrow with a practice one...with suction cups.

          “No way, I can use normal arrows!” He only raised and eyebrow to that. “Come on, please?” You hoped the doe-eyed look was working on him. He only chuckled and shook his head. “Fine.” You got back into position.

          “Here, stand like this.” He twisted his body around yours to adjust your posture and your legs, nudging your right arm a bit higher. You aimed at the stationary target about 30 meters away.

          “Like this?” You let go as he took a step back, only for the arrow to not have nearly enough power behind it and fall in front of you. You groaned while he snickered. He gave you another arrow and you got back into position. This time he stayed close behind you, adjusting your arms. You could feel the heat from his body and his breath tickle your neck.

          “Now take a deep breath,” he whispered in your ear. Your heartbeat sped up a bit, but you did as you were told. “And release as you exhale.”

          You let go of the arrow and heard the thump of the arrow hitting the target. Barely. It resided on the very bottom of the target, but it still made it, and you counted that as a win in your book. You turned around smiling, wrapping your arms around his neck, his hands automatically going to your hips.

          “I told you I could do it!”

          “Yeah, yeah,” he said looking at your lips. You unconsciously licked yours and began to lean in when you heard his phone go off and jumped apart. He glanced at the messaged then returned the phone to his pocket. “Duty calls, Sweetheart.” He bent down to grab his gear and intertwined your fingers with his as you left the shooting range.

          You met a majority of the team on the platform on the roof. Steve and Sam were already loading gear onto the Quinjet, while Nat and Wanda were talking off to the side. Bucky came up behind you, ruffling your hair as he passed you to get on the jet. He’d become like a brother to you, really all of the Avengers had adopted you into their family, but you were closest with Bucky and Natasha. You joined the girls while Clint counted his arrows.

          “Be safe while we’re gone, _kotehok_ ,” Nat said hugging you to her. You’d warmed your way into her heart over the last month, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do by any means. Though you being Clint’s soulmate had something to do with it. She’d accepted you and became more like a sister to you.

          “I will. Promise.” She nodded and headed onto the Quinjet.

          Bruce came through the doors making a beeline for the jet, looking rather annoyed. Seconds later, Tony came bounding out after him, talking animatedly about something. Ah, that makes sense now. He stopped when he saw you, and dropped the subject, much to Dr. Banner’s relief, and changed course toward you.

          “Hey, Kiddo, you gonna be alright without me?” He mumbled into your hair as hugged you. Vision and Wanda were staying back at the Tower with you, so it's not like you'd be lonely in the tower by yourself. You rolled your eyes but appreciated the sentiment all the same. Tony had been close to you since he found you, and in that time, you’d noticed he was discreetly protective. When you’d told Tony, you and Clint were officially together, he’d made jokes as per usual, but later that night, you overheard Tony giving a version of the ‘talk’ to Clint in the kitchen. Tony just wanted you to be safe, and while he trusted Clint, he didn’t want to see you get hurt. It had taken several days before he could get the image of your bruised and soaked body, limp in his arms, out of his head when he closed his eyes. To him, you were still so fragile..

           “Tony, I’ll be fine. I’ve got Wanda to protect me,” you whispered back.

           He hummed, kissed the top of your head, then let you go and got onto the jet. Clint took the opportunity to jog back to you and pull you into his embrace.

          “Come back in one piece, Bird Brain,” you said wrapping your arms around his neck.

          “Ah, now why do you have to go and mimic Tony?” he whined. You gently smacked the back of his head. “Sorry, sorry. I promise.” He leaned down and kissed you full on the mouth. You swear you were standing there for hours, but in reality, it had only been seconds before there were wolf-whistles from the opening of the Quinjet. You giggled and stepped back to stand next to Wanda, as you waved them all off. You hated when they left without you, not know when they’d be back, wondering if they were injured. Clint came back with mostly flesh wounds more often than not, so you weren’t too worried normally. With this being an impromptu mission involving so many of the members, you were nervous the mission might go south and he’d come back less than okay.

          Wanda put a hand on your shoulder, pulling you from your thoughts. “Let’s go watch a movie. There was that romantic comedy you were telling me about the other day?”

          You let her pull you to the common room, where you’d spend the rest of the day and most of the night watching movies, eating take out, and painting each other’s nails. Something she didn’t get to do often growing up. You hadn’t either, having few friends as you were the odd kid out of your class. You’d been so hesitant and reserved in school, your parents’ nervousness of your ability rubbed off on you and you’d only made a few friends. Spending time with Wanda filled the ‘typical girly’ void you’d missed out on.

          “Hey maybe tomorrow, we could go to Starbucks and go shopping or something?” You asked, already knowing her answer. Her eyes lit up. She was surprisingly addicted to Pumpkin Spice Lattes and they just so happened to be in season.

          “Yes, of course! We can make a day out of it,” she said, going back to painting her toes with a cerulean blue polish.

 

* * *

 

 

           “A grande chai latte and a grande pumpkin spice latte please,” you said to the Starbucks employee, who couldn’t have looked more bored if he tried.

           There was a long line of impatient people behind you as you paid for your drinks, moving to the pick-up area. You spotted Wanda at the front of the coffee shop, having found two comfortable chairs by the window. A worker called out your name, and you thanked them, picking up the drinks and weaving through the crowded establishment to your seat across from your friend.

          “Mmm, it tastes like fall,” Wanda said, looking like a social media star in an over-sized cowl-neck sweater dress, and ankle boots, her hair in waves all around her. You took a sip of your own drink, reveling in the warmth that spread it’s warm through your body. “Take a selfie with me, Kitty, please!” Tony’s nicknames for you had caught on and the majority of the team had started to call you feline-related terms. Not that you minded. It was sweet. You indulged the girl, getting up to sit next to her for the photo. She held up the phone and posed, but as you smiled into the camera, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, making you whip your head around. “Aw, Kitty, it came out blurry. Let’s take another, okay?” You took a minute to look around the crowded shop but didn’t see anyone stand out. Shrugging to yourself, you turned back to the camera, and smiled as she took the picture.

          “It’s perfect! I’m going to send it to Natasha, and show her what she’s missing out on!” The Sokovian tapped away on her phone as you took another glance around the place.

          “Wanna go window shopping?” you ask, not being able to get the weird feeling to go away. “I need to stretch my legs. Feeling a bit restless.”

           She looked at you curiously, but agreed and you left arm in arm, strolling down the streets of New York. You chatted about the clothes in the storefronts you passed as you made your way through the bustling sidewalk. You had vastly different styles, where Wanda was more bohemian and flowy, you had a more chill vibe, sticking more to leggings and graphic tees, but you weren’t opposed to more stylish looks, and she was dying to dress you up. You’d just paused to look at the displays in another window when you got the bad feeling again. You looked around but there were too many people moving around to pinpoint someone. No one looked familiar, so you supposed that was a good thing, so you turned back around and admired the outfit in the display. Wanda pulled you inside the store though, before you could recognize the reflection of the figure looming across the street.

          “Welcome! Is there anything I can help you ladies find today?” A sales associate came around to help you, smiling brightly.

          “Yes, please! Can you help us find the pieces of the outfit in the window for my friend?” Wanda said, and started chatting with the associate. You followed behind them, letting them pick whatever they thought you’d look good in. Really, you didn’t mind playing dress up, glad to be out of the tower for once. As much as you love your new home, it’s good for a little change of pace every now and then. Twenty minutes later, Wanda had you shoved into a fitting room at the back of the store, trying on an outfit that was more Nat’s style than yours, if you were being honest. With leather leggings with multiple zippers, a dark red top and a fitted leather jacket, you thought all you’d need is a pair of high-heeled boots and you could be Nat’s twin, but you doubted you could rock the look like she could.

          “Let me see!” Wanda called from outside the door. You stepped out and she gasped. “Oh, that’s sexy! Clint will love that on you!” She giggled as you blushed. “The jacket isn’t you, but those pants are perfect for you.” You took off the jacket and handed it to her on the hanger. “Oh! You need some earrings!”

          “Girl, that looks amazing on you,” the sales associate said. You learned her name was Bailey. She turned to Wanda. “As for earrings, I have a few pairs near the front I think would be perfect, if you wanted to come look at those?”

          “Sure thing! Try on that blue dress while I’m gone, Kitty,” Wanda called over her shoulder as she walked away.

          You shrugged and went back into your dressing room. You shimmied out of the top and pants and threw the simple blue skater dress over your head. Huh, dresses weren’t really your thing, you always thought you looked awkward in them. Wanda pick this one out though, and sure enough, she was right. It was cute on you. You stepped out and turned to grab their attention, when a hand went around you mouth, another wrapping around you middle, trapping your arms and pulling you toward their chest. You thrashed around, trying to wiggle out of their grip but it was no use. They were bigger and definitely stronger than you.

          “Miss me, Babe?”

          You froze, body rigid now. Where-? How did he find you? It all makes sense now. You thought you were being watched, the bad feeling in the coffee shop, the weird feeling outside of the store. It was Him. Mason. How could you have been so stupid to think he wasn’t going to find you.

          “Come with me quietly, Babe,” he said lifting you up, and navigating around the clothes racks to door labeled “Employees Only.” He pushed open the door with his shoulder, tightening his grip when you began struggling again to get free. “Being away has made you scrappy, huh. Boss will like that. He wants a fighter,” he said in your ear.

          He kicked the door at the back of the stock room and it opened to an alley, where a van was waiting. You looked up, the clouds had been rolling in while you were in the store, and it looked like it would rain soon. Your heart was racing, if you didn’t get away from him before he got you in that van, you were as good as dead. Or worse. You thought back to all the moves you’d seen Nat use when she sparred with the boys, and thought of one move that might come in handy. You tucked your neck in then tried to slam it back into his nose, but he jerked his head to the side, avoiding the impact.

          “Nice try, but you’re not getting away from us so easily this time,” he said as the side door of the van opened. He shoved you in and your head collided with something hard on the floor of the vehicle, making your eyes water. Mason got in behind you, sliding the door shut as the van took off. You made to move toward the back door of the van when you heard a click. You turned to see a gun pointing at you, the safety off. You sat back down slowly, hands up, eyes down. Come on, you have to think of a way out of this before they take you, well, wherever they were taking you. You put your head in your hands and closed your eyes, the pain from the earlier impact beginning to throb.

          “Boss was not happy last time, Babe. Almost killed me until I convinced him I could get you back, not that you made it easy for me. Imagine my surprise when I see you after weeks walking down the street with someone else. Not just anyone else, but the Avengers’ own Scarlet Witch. Boss’ll be happy about that though, to not only have his new addition, but inside information you’ll give him about the Avengers.”

           God, had you really dated this guy? You finally looked at Him for the first time in weeks and your eyes widened in shock. His ever-distinguishable blonde hair had been dyed black. That’s why you didn’t pick him out from the crowd earlier. He now sported a jagged scar on his left cheek, but those cold, hard eyes. You took one look and suddenly you were back in that apartment cowering on the floor. You started whimpering without realizing.

           “Oh, shut up.” He hit the butt of the gun against the side of your head and you saw spots. “You’ve put me through so much trouble. Honestly more trouble than I think you’re worth, but Boss wants you and I want the money.” He leaned over and picked up a silver case off the floor of the van. You realize that put have been what you hit your head on earlier. He unlatched it and pulled out a syringe. You knew where this was going, you’d heard stories from Clint and Nat. You backed yourself into a corner, looking around the back of the van to find something, anything, to defend yourself. Upon finding nothing by the time he was leaning toward you, you tried to kick out but he caught your ankle, pulling you toward him, and straddling you, pinning your arms down with his knees. He put his left hand on your head, pushing it to the side, exposing your neck and jabbed the needle into the exposed skin. In seconds the world faded to black.

 

* * *

 

          Something kicked your foot and you jerked awake. You were tied to a chair, arms strapped to the armrests, your feet in shackles chained to the floor. In front of you sat Mason and his Boss. You recognized him for the video calls and the brief meeting at the restaurant.

          “It’s nice of you to join us,” he said with a sinister smile. “You’ve been a tough one to find, and frankly I’d about given up. Sorry, where are my manners, we haven’t been officially introduced yet. My name is Alexi Popov. And what’s your name?” You didn’t answer, refusing to give them the satisfaction of speaking. Instead you spit at him, the glob of saliva landing on his glossy, black shoe. He backhands you so hard you see spots.

          “Well, enough of these trivial niceties, let us continue. I want you to work for me. You could be a very valuable asset to us,” he said. He walked away to grab a tray full of tools and and set them on a nearby table. “One way or another, I will get you to comply. You will work for me. However, you seem like you need a little persuasion.” He turned to address Mason. “I will be back in two hours. Do try to keep the blood splatter to a minimum.” He walked out of the room, his shoes clicking against the cement floor.

          “Yes, Boss.” Mason picked up a knife with a long, thin blade, inspecting it. It must have been exactly what he was looking for as he stalks up to you in such a rush that you jerk back and almost tipped the chair backwards. “There’s no getting away this time, Babe.” Quicker than you thought he could be, he slashed several precise cuts across your arms and chest and you winced. With the dress having left so much available skin, it gave him an ample canvas to play with. It exposed your legs as well, which you became painfully aware of as has he sliced a long cut slowly across your thigh. You ground your teeth together but refuse to make a sound. You didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

          He didn’t seem to like how little this was doing, wanting a more dramatic response out of you. He slapped you hard across the face, and while your vision blurred, he unstrapped your arms from the chair, only to pull you up and latch shackles attached to the ceiling to your wrists. The chain was just long enough with your arms stretched above you that you could stand but only on your the balls of your feet. Mason started in right away, punching you in the arms, your stomach, your face. You could feel your face swell and tears unwillingly flowed down your face. When he punched you in the ribs, it knocked the breath out of you and left you gasping.

          “Want this to stop, Babe? All you have to do is cooperate with us. You would be valuable, a star among the organization.” You turned your face as his hot breath brushed against your cheek. “You’ll break, just like before. Maybe you need time to think it over, I am a reasonable man, after all.” He punched you in the ribs again and walked out.

          Your head fell back as you struggled to stay standing.You closed your eyes, and tried to take a deep breath. You thought of Tony and Bucky and Clint. God, you let them down. You had promised them you’d stayed safe. So much for that, you thought. They won’t let you out of the tower ever again when you get back. If you get back. How long had it been since He kidnapped you? Wanda surely got a hold of the team by now right? But they were god knows where in the middle of a mission. They won’t be able to get to me until it’s too late. You can’t think that way. They’re the Avengers- they have to find you. This is what they do. Fight the bad guys, save the hostages. But that’s only if they know where said hostages are. You didn’t even know where you were. You felt a sense of dread wash over you as you fell unconscious, body slack in the restraints.

 

* * *

 

          “Fuck!” Clint grabbed at his ribs where his soulmark was. The mission had been a success, problem resolved faster than expected and intell recovered. They were just loading back onto the Quinjet to head home, when Clint suddenly felt a throbbing pain on his ribs.

          “What’s wrong with you?” Nat asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

          “I have no idea. I barely got a scratch on me during the fight.” He lifted his shirt to inspect the suffering area, only to find it unmarked. It looked completely fine, but it sure hurt like hell. Natasha poked the area, and he glared at her. “I’m not making this up Nat.”

          She looked doubtful until he jerked back again from another sharp pain. The look on her face changed from confusion to worry and she watched Clint rubbed his thumb over his soulmark-- your words. Clint looked up at her and made eye contact and he felt a sense of dread as they began to think the same thing.

          “Tony. You need to get in touch with F.R.I.D.A.Y. now.” Natasha said into the com. “Something’s wrong.”

          “What? How would you know that?” Tony said, the barest hint of nerves in his voice.

          “Clint is having sharp pain at the site of his soulmark.”

          “F.R.I.D.A.Y. Where is 'Kat?” Tony asked, sounding more anxious by the second.

          “Miss did not return home with Ms. Maximoff. Last known location was at a boutique in Manhattan, Boss.”

          “Fuck!” A wave of nausea passed over Clint as he dialed your cell phone, gripping his chest. There was no answer, to no one’s surprise. His face twisted in pain.

          “I’ll call Wanda. We’ll find her, Clint,” Nat said, trying in vain to console her best friend.

          “F.R.I.D.A.Y. Hack into the cameras within a 10 block radius of her last known location and start running facial recognition,” Tony said, trying to keep his voice steady but the team saw how his hands shook and the tears forming in his eyes. Steve put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, saying nothing. Because what was there to say?

          There was a loud crash from behind them all, and they looked toward the noise, watching as Bucky pulled his metal arm away from a large dent in the wall of the ship, gear scattered on the floor. He crumpled to the floor, breathing hard, borderline growling at Sam when he tried to talk to him. Bruce looked to be taking deep breaths, sliding headphones over his head, trying to suppress the emotion and calming down the Big Guy as to not have a Code Green. For the first time in a long time, even Natasha felt helpless, but she was determined to find her new little sister. She closed her eyes, making you a whispered promise: she will kill who ever had the nerve to take you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> котенок (kotenok) - kitten


	5. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger Warning* This chapter contains torture and psychological abuse to the reader.

           “She was changing in the dressing room while I went to get her earrings,” Wanda cried into the phone. “When I got back, she was gone. Tony, I’m so sorry.” She was sobbing. She was kicking herself for having ever left your side. She’d been so frantic looking for you when she discovered you were gone, she’d gone a bit crazy trying to find any trace of you in the store and the surrounding streets.

            She shouldn’t have gone with the sales associate. She should have sat right outside your dressing room door and waited for you. How had anyone even gotten to you? There were very few people within the store; only the two of you, two sales associates, a teenager chatting on her cellphone, and a man with a baseball cap on. Wait. The man. He’d been in jeans and a polo, he’d been a bit out of place maybe, but why did he set off an alarm in her mind? She concentrated on her memory of Him. He had a scar on his left cheek and he had avoided eye contact with the other associate while Bailey was helping her. He’d moved slowly toward the back of the store but Wanda hadn’t thought anything of it while she was distracted looking at jewelry for you. Recalling immediately after finding out you were missing, the guy wasn’t on the scene.

           “Tony! I know who we’re looking for, or at least what he looks like,” Wanda practically screams into the phone. “There was a man in the shop. Dark hair, scar on his left cheek, baseball cap!”

           “F.R.I.D.A.Y. you heard her! Find him. Follow him,” Tony says, flying back to the tower in the suit. The rest of the team was flying back in the Quinjet, with Steve piloting. 

           “Already on it, Boss,” the AI said.

           How had this happened? He had sworn to you he would protect you but instead he felt like he let you down. You were his nightlight in the dark of his mind. With all that he had suffered through, especially the nightmares that plagued him of almost dying in the Chitauri attack in New York, and the Ultron incident in Sokovia, he hadn’t felt like himself in years. But since you’d walked into his life, he’s had something to fight for, to live for; you made his life better and brighter. And he’d be damned if something happened to you and took that away.

 

* * *

 

           You gasped awake as the ice-cold water hit your skin. 

           “Glad to have you back with us, Babe,” Mason said grinning, through a bucket to the side. “Are you ready to cooperate.” You didn’t respond, only glared at him through your lashes, as water dripped down your face, body shivering from the cold. 

           “Come on, Sweet Cheeks,” he said, taking a few steps toward you. “All you have to do is nod your head, tell us what we need to know about those little Avengers, and lend us your skills. Easy as pie.” He was close enough to you at this point, you could smell his rancid breath. You spit in his face. That may not have been your best idea.

           “That’s how you want to be, huh” he said, voice growing more sinister. “Forget what the Boss says. You’re not worth all this trouble.” He gripped your thigh, digging his thumb into the gash he’d slashed open earlier. You screamed then, the pain too much more than you could bear. Tears streaming down your face, you writhed in the shackles. He let go and turned to the tray of tools, choosing a short, sharp knife. He stalked back to you, the cold stare you’d know of his gone. In its place were rage and fury. He dragged the blade from your belly button to your clavicle, not hard, but just enough to rip through the material of the dress, exposing your chest to him.

           “What do you think, Sweet Cheeks,” he said looking at your chest. “Complying looks better now doesn’t it?” He leaned down to your neck and you turned your face away, closing your eyes. He breathed on your skin and dragged the knife from side of your neck to your clavicle, pushing deep enough to break the skin by a few millimeters and produce blood. “For all of the trouble you’ve caused me, I should just kill you now. But then I thought about it and you see, I would much rather drag out your imminent death and drag out the suffering.” He back up to admire his handiwork and grinned.

           “That’s enough!” A voice rang out and you both snapped your eyes to the source. Alexi stormed up to Mason, and threw a punch that knocked him out instantly. Alexi shook out his hand and inspected it, grabbing a rag off the table to clean the blood from his fingers.

           “We want you with us alive and available. Not dead. You’re not use to us dead,” he said. He tossed the rag carelessly on Mason’s unconscious body. Then he looked you dead in the eye. “I like to think myself a patient man, but my patience is running thin. You are running out of chances to cooperate and join us...willingly. After that, I’m afraid I’ll have to resort to more extreme methods. I will return shortly. You don’t appear to be stupid girl. It would be best for you to make the smart decision and join us.” 

           With that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving you alone with your unconscious monster of an ex-boyfriend. You breathed a sigh of relief as you were alone again, groaning as you shifted your legs. The pain in your shoulders from arms being held up was starting to wear on you. You didn’t know how much more you could take. You closed your eyes and thought of Clint. He’d want you to be strong for him. You thought of his stupid jokes and silly nature; how he got the most joy out of teasing Sam and Bucky when he won at video games. How calm he is when he shoots arrows and how at peace he is when he’s sitting on the roof, high above everything. 

           You thought about the first night you slept together and how all you did was actually sleep. Clint had taken you out on an official date outside of the tower, to a restaurant Tony had suggested. You both had gotten dressed up, him in a fitted black suit and tie. You had worn a dress Nat had picked out, deep purple and slinky, stopping mid thigh, with thin straps that criss-crossed your back. You’d borrowed a pair of her heels because you didn’t have any. Wanda had styled your hair so that loose curls cascaded down your back, and had given you simple makeup. You were walking down to the common room with Nat and Wanda, wondering aloud if this was all too much, stopping only when Nat put a hand to your shoulder making you look up. Clint was pacing by the elevator, nervous as ever. He felt out of his element, but as the elevator doors opened, all worries and intelligent thought left his head. You were beautiful. 

           You had smiled and taken his hand and the two of you left to go to the fancy restaurant. five minutes after being seated, you both had felt so out of place that you decided to leave. You and Clint ended up walking a couple blocks to a diner with a sign that said “Home of the World’s Greatest Milkshakes” in the window. You ended up spending hours in the diner, eating greasy burgers and fries, sipping strawberry milkshakes, and laughing without a care in the world. You may have looked out of place with the fancy clothes on in the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but it was the best night of your life. You left walking hand in hand until your shoes hurt too much and you were going to call a cab. Clint was having none of that and insisted on carrying you the rest of the way to the tower on his back. The security guard rolled his eyes when you came hurling through the doors but said nothing. 

           When you got back there were a few people in the common room but you didn’t want the night to end, so he suggested coming back to his room. You were wary at first but he’d promised you didn’t need to do anything, that you could take it slow. So you agreed and went back to his room. 

           “Can I borrow some clothes? I really want to get out of this dress,” you asked. 

           “Yeah, sure,” he said, rummaging through some drawers. He handed you a t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. You went to the bathroom and changed and laughed at low long the shirt was on you. When you came out, Clint was lounging on the bed in a t-shirt and pajama pants, flipping channels on the TV. But when he saw you, he smirked.

           “You look good in my clothes, Kitten.”

           You smiled and got in on the other side of the bed, cuddling up next to him. You laid your head and arm on his chest, while his arm wrapped around your waist. You felt so at peace in that moment.

           “Can I see them?” You had asked. He looked at you quizzically. “My words, your soulmark.” 

           “Oh, yeah of course.” He sat up and lifted his shirt over his head, leaving his chest bare. You sat up too and marveled at his muscles, defined but not bulging like Steve’s. You brushed your fingers over the words on his ribs, in the same spot as yours.  _ “So, uh, you come here often?”  _ He breathed in and you giggled. 

           “Is the mighty Hawkeye ticklish?” you teased.

           “...No,” he said, looking away nervously. You smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him. His left hand went to the back of your head while the other went passed your hip to the bed so that he leaned over you as you laid back in the bed. You broke away and looked into his eyes, as his fingers pushed up the side of your shirt a bit, his thumb rubbing circles on your hip. You pulled up the shirt more, just enough to expose his words on your ribs. He leaned down and kissed it, and you felt a rush of warm flood through you. He laid back down and you cuddled up close, breathing in his scent- eucalyptus and his own musk. It was so calming you had fallen asleep on him.

           You held onto that thought as you started forming a plan of how to get out of this hellhole. One thing was for sure, you were getting back to Clint, no matter what it takes. 

 

* * *

 

           “He avoided all the cameras,” Natasha said. “And the camera at the side entrance was knocked down so there’s no additional footage.” She sat down next to Clint at the table in the conference room, leaning on her elbows, with her hands on either side of her head rubbing her temples. 

           “Where do we go from here?” Steve asked.

           “I’m having F.R.I.D.A.Y. run facial recognition to look for her or a glimpse of someone with the description of the man Wanda saw,” Tony said, staring at the screen. “Beyond that… I don’t know…” 

           The room went quiet. Clint stood up abruptly and left the room, Natasha on his heels. Bucky followed after them but took the stairs to his own destination. Clint and Natasha were quiet in the elevator. When they got to the roof, Clint walked to the ledge, leaning on the side, head bowed. He looked to be breathing hard, but when she got closer, she realized he was crying. She pulled him into her arms, running her fingers through his hair, whispering promises to him in Russian. She hadn’t seen him this broken ever.

           “What am I going to do, Nat?” he said when his breathing evened out a bit. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell her I love her.” 

           She looked into her best friends eyes and her heart broke for him. “We’ll find her,  _ моя птичка.  _ I promise you. You will have your happily ever after.”

 

* * *

 

 

           “Time to stop being the damsel in distress. Just focus,” you muttered to yourself, taking shallow breaths from the pain in your chest. “Remember what Natasha taught you. S.E.O.P. Surroundings. Exits. Obstacles. Plan. You can do this.”

           You forced yourself to turn your head as much as you could to either side, squinting and blinking to fully taking in all your surroundings. You were in a  warehouse, that much was obvious. To your right, there was a door that seemed to lead outside, as it was on one of the two walls that had windows along the top of the walls. You could see it was dark out now. The wall in front of you was relatively blank, metal walls; the only objects in fronts of your were the tray of tools on a small metal table, a large bulletin board on the wall with a map with several pins on it, another table against the wall with what looked to hold more of the solution Mason had injected you in the neck with, and a set of double doors leading somewhere else in the building. The chair you’d been strapped to earlier was knocked over by Mason’s body as well. 

           To your left, to your surprise, was another set of shackles that dropped from the ceiling and a table with restraints laying open. There was a cord leading from the foot of the table to a box on the ground but your couldn’t see what the box was from where you were chained up. The wall also had a door and windows leading outside, but there were crates upon crates blocking your exit. You could see there was a set of stair leading up somewhere behind you but you couldn’t turn enough to see where they led to exactly. The door to your left seemed to be your immediate best way of escape. It was probably locked but you could probably find something to pick the lock like Clint should you how to last week. But how were you going to get out of these chains? Your body was exposed in more way than one, you can’t do much in this position. Fuck. All at once the solution to your shackled problem became so glaringly obvious, you wondered how you hadn’t thought of it until now. You’ll blame it on the kidnapping and pain.

           You heard a groan as Mason gained consciousness again. You watched as he sat up slowly, looking at his surrounding until his eyes locked on yours, and his face grimaced. 

           “You bitch!” he roared, standing up and rushing at you, fist pulled back. 

           Before he could make contact though, you changed into a raven. With the shackles no longer able to hold you in place, you flew up up to the rafters of the warehouse, just barely dodging his grasp. He spun around and looked up, frustration taking over his features. You settled on a beam, glad for the momentary reprieve. You could see now that the wall behind you had a second floor, the stairs on the side leading up to a room with computers that you could see through the windows. There was a door at the end of the second floor strip that led elsewhere but you were a little bit more relieved, now that you had a couple more options of a way to get out or maybe even get help. 

_   Clank!  _ You jumped back on the beam as a wrench hit a beam nearby. Mason was now throwing tools at you. You nose-dived off the beam heading for him and changed at the last second to a grizzly bear, landing on him knocking him to the floor. His head bounced off the floor but he remained conscious. He groaned, whether from your weight or from the impact you weren’t sure. You got off of him, grabbing his arm, and dragging him to the shackles you’d been attached to all this time. He tried to struggle out of your grip but promptly gave up the fight when you growled at him. 

           With the shackles now secured, You grabbed several sharp, pointy tools off the tray and  broke into a run for the door on the right of the room, shifting mid stride to your normal human self. As you thought before, the door was locked when you tried the doorknob. Mason was shouting for help now and your could hear the rattle of the chains as he struggle against them. You tried the tools but it became increasingly more difficult with the tools slipping between your fingers; your hands had gotten sweaty when you heard heavy steps coming toward the door on the front wall. 

           Deciding unlocking the door was a lost cause and hearing talking from the otherside of the door, you morphed into a monkey and scaled the pipe that led up the wall on next ot the door, taking it over to the second floor ledge. You tried the knob on the door to the computer room and it shockingly opened. Your went inside, pushing a chair up underneath the door handle then morphed back into your human self and went to a computer farther from the door. You paused, not knowing what to do, but you could hear a couple voices from below and the rattling of chains as they, whoever  _ they  _ are, began to free Mason. 

           You turned on the computer and it booted up insanely quickly, the desktop having several file folder icons on it as well as a symbol that looked like a skull with tentacles. Email! Never before had you been so glad for the invention of email. You opened the browser, searching for your email service, logged in and sent an email to Tony, explaining how you didn’t know where you were or how much longer you had before you’d be trapped again. You described the warehouse briefly and the symbol on the desktop as there was banging on the door to the room you were in. You ended it with a quick “love you” and hit ‘send’ as there was a crash from the windows. You changed quickly, taking the form of a mouse and as quickly and quietly as you could, ran past them out the door as two men with guns strapped to their backs rushed in. You jumped from the second floor walkway transitioning into a raven again to fly up to the rafters and morphed back into a mouse to make yourself nearly invisible to the soldiers and Mason. You stayed still, adrenaline coursing through you, trying to plan your next move, hoping some help might come for you.

 

* * *

 

         “Boss!” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said as Tony stood in the conference room, watching the facial recognition flash by hundreds of faces. Steve was sitting at the table, working through his own batch of facial recognition photos on a Stark pad.

         “What?!” he yelled, eyes never leaving the screen. Steve glanced up at him, but chose not to say anything. 

         “You have a new email from Miss’ account,” said the AI.

         Tony froze.

         “Pull it up please, F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” Steve said, coming around to stand next to Tony. The email came up on the screen, and as they read through it, Tony let out a sigh of relief. At least you were alive...for now. He couldn’t think like that. He involuntarily gasped when he read the line about the symbol on the computers. The skull with tentacles. Hydra. Of course it was Hydra. He knows all about what happened to Bucky and he sure as hell was not about to let anything like that happen to you.

         “What’s the location?” Tony asked, already walking toward the door, tapping on his watch to ready Mark 47 for his arrival to the landing pad in the next 30 seconds. 

         “Bangall, New York. Sending coordinates now.”

         “Tony, wait up!” Steve says, jogging down the hall to catch up to him. “We’ll get the team together and go together. You don’t want to fly in blind.”

         “That’s my little girl...I mean, our girl, in there, Rogers,” Tony said stumbling over his words. They entered the elevator as Tony hit the button for the landing pad. “She has a better chance of making it out of wherever she is the sooner we can get to her. I’ll be faster leaving now. You get the team and get to the jet, but I’m not leaving her alone any longer than I have to if I can help it.” Tony stepped off the elevator and immediately pieces of his suit were flying to his body and connecting themselves together.

         “Fine. We’ll contact you when we’re close. Don’t do anything stupid, Tony,” Steve says sending out a mission text to the team to get them ready to leave. 

         “No promises, Capsicle,” Tony says. He takes off for the coordinates then, hoping to whoever is out there that he’ll get to you in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> моя птичка (moya ptichka) - My Bird


	6. You Should Have Killed Me When You Had The Chance

           “Get her down here,” Alexi Popov’s voice rang from below. 

           You were essentially trapped. There were way more soldiers than you anticipated and they had guns, shooting blindly toward the ceiling. At least you were alive, for now. You felt a burst of cold air and looked around for the source. There! At the top of one of the beams was a small hole in the roof. As carefully as you can, you run across the beams and make it through the hole, and end up sliding down the side of the tin roof, landing on the grass in your human form. 

           You heard the gunshots from inside stop as you took off running, heading for the treeline in front of you. That dream was short lived as you realized you had rolled your ankle when you landed and it was throbbing, but when you heard a shout from nearby you bit back the pain and continued on. You made it to the cover of trees, slowing your pace and catching your breath, wondering what your next step will be. You limped to a large fallen log, climbing over it and ducking down behind it, peaking back over to see if anyone followed you. You saw a couple flashlight beams in the distance but they looked to be headed in the opposite direction in the wooded area. 

           You let out a sigh then as the adrenaline started to fade and the pain in your body came rushing into focus. You pulled your right knee up to your chest keeping the injured leg straight out in front of you, and rested your head on your knee. You needed a plan, you couldn’t stay like this forever; you were a sitting duck. Just then, you heard a snap of a twig and your senses were on high alert. You slowly laid down so you weren’t obvious in your movements but were hidden entirely by the log. You saw a man with a flashlight, about 50 feet in front of you walk by, as you held your breath, thankful that he didn’t look in your direction once. As he moved on and was a far enough distance away, you sat up slowly only to feel the barrel of a gun touch the back of your head. Your luck just ran out.

           “Ah ah ah. Turn around slowly, and stay on your knees,” Mason said, his voice practically a growl. You did as he asked and turned to face him, and he shone a flashlight in your face. “See, I told the boss you weren’t worth all this. You wouldn’t appreciate the opportunity he could give you, we could give you.”

           You heard something rush by overhead, but you couldn’t see anything with from the brightness of the light temporarily blinding you when you glanced up and assumed it was a jet. You shivered when a gust of wind blew by, realizing now what you were wearing. The dress had holes in it from snagging on branches along with the the rip in the middle from earlier, and it was now caked in dirt. So much for the cute dress, you thought briefly, as Mason paused from monologuing to laugh maniacally. There was another whooshing sound overhead but you were forced to ignore it by Mason’s hand gripping your chin and bringing your face to his.

         “All this time, Boss had me believing you were something special, something we needed. But he was wrong. You are nothing, you’ve only ever been nothing, a pathetic little girl that is more trouble than you’re worth.” He got a certain look in his eye than you just couldn’t place. You saw a glint of something out of the corner of your eye and looked briefly, realizing there was a knife attached to his belt loop. You looked back at him within a second to not draw attention to it. He kept talking, but you ignored it, holding his gaze as you slowly reached your arm forward toward the knife. 

Suddenly there was an explosion in the direction of the warehouse and he jerked his head over to the noise. You took that opportunity to grab the knife off his belt and slash his hand, causing him to drop the gun and stumble back. You stood up, swinging the knife at him, moving forward to crouch and search for the gun without looking away from him. You fingers brushed on metal between the leaves and you grip the gun, holding it in front of you.

           “Oh, you’re still feisty, Babe,” Mason said, “But you don’t know how to use that.” He was grinning, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

           “Yeah, but I can try,” you said throwing down the knife to hold the gun with both hands. “That was your biggest mistake, taking advantage of me and doubting me. You should have killed me when you had the chance.” You took a breath and pulled the trigger.

           Mason fell to his knees in front of you, blood running down his forehead from the bullet hole. You watched his body waver a bit before falling to the side, eyes still open. 

           You don’t know how long you stood there before you heard voices shouting your name. You couldn’t bring yourself to turn your head, keeping your eyes on the unmoving form. The voices got closer and after another minute, a metal hand was placed over yours, pulling the gun from your fingers, letting your arms fall. You started to wobble and the metallic body caught you holding you to them, and it felt so familiar, you began to cry.

           “Shhh. It’s okay, honey. I got you,” Tony said, clutching you as gently as he could in the suit so as not to crush you. “I got you.” You tighten your arms around his neck, gripping the metal of the suit and felt yourself being lifted, legs going to either side of his waist, face on his shoulder. Somewhere between the sobbing and the pain, exhaustion took over and you fell unconscious in his arms.

 

* * *

 

           “Tell me what I’m looking for, F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony said, searching the ground below as he flew closer to the coordinates. 

           “It appears to be an abandoned warehouse, boss.” Tony flipped on his thermal vision and scanned the area. 

           “That doesn’t look very abandoned to me,” Tony said flying closer to the building. “ETA on the Quinjet?”

           “Five minutes, boss,” the AI said. “I suggest you wait for the team to join you before attacking though.”

           “In five minutes, she may not even be alive anymore,” Tony said, counting the soldiers he could see outside the warehouse. There were fifteen or so, and they seemed to be looking for something. “How many are inside?” 

           “I’m detecting twenty heat signatures inside the building.”

           “Alright, let’s make an entrance.”

           Tony flew by what seemed to be the main entrance, launching four small missiles from the fingers of his gloves toward the guards at their posts. The impacts forced them into the side of the building, causing small explosions, and in turn, drawing the attention to himself. He figured, if he can draw them out to him, it could buy more time for the team to hurry up and get there to save her. Sure enough, moments later he heard shouting, and as he heard the sounds of the Quinjet landing nearby, he saw men armed with guns running toward him. They started shooting at Tony while he returned fire, blasting away at them with his repulsors. 

          “Tony we’re here,” Steve said into his comm. “Did you find her?” 

          “Haven’t had the chance to go in yet. Had my hands full distracting them out here. Widow, take Barnes with you inside. Find her.”

         “On it,” Nat says, running towards the entrance, Bucky charging in front of her, shooting anyone in their way. Once inside the warehouse, they found a room with what looked like maps and plans of setting up more Hydra bases. They went through another door, entering a large open space, with chains hanging from the ceiling. They caught a glimpse of someone running out a side door and Bucky ran to catch him, leaving the door open. The shooting had stopped outside, while Natasha looked around at all the blood on the floor under a set of the chains and shackles. Her stomach turned and she felt nauseous, imagining you tied up and tortured. She heard a gunshot in the distance and took off in the direction it came from.

           “Kat!” Tony yelled flying through the trees in the direction he heard the shot. “Kat!” Behind him he could hear Clint yelling your name. Tony barely saw the light from a flashlight on the forest floor. He got closer and could finally make out a figure. He landed softly, opening the face mask as he walked cautiously toward you when he saw you were holding a gun. In front of you was a body crumpled on the ground. He put a hand on the yours and tugged the gun out of your hands. He caught you as you wobbled on your feet, and tried to sooth you with words. But as you sobbed into his shoulder, he sighed in relief that you were alright. You’re alive and that’s all that matters. 

            He picked you up and walked you back toward the warehouse to where he knew the team was waiting. He met Clint just before breaking the edge of the forest. There was a mix of worry and relief on his face. Ever so gently, Tony transferred your body into Clint’s arms and Clint collapsed on the ground with you held tight to his chest. The rest of the team joined you two, giving Clint a moment before they helped him up and guided him to the Quinjet, you still in his arms. It was a quiet trip back to the tower.

 

* * *

 

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. _

           If you could murder a sound, that would be it. You tried to take a deep breath and instantly regretted it, the pain in your chest causing you to whimper. You opened your eyes, blinking against the harsh lights. You could tell you were in a hospital room, and turning your head to look out the window, you took in the familiar view and determined you’re back at the Tower. You looked down to your left and were greeted with the sight of Clint asleep on the edge of your bed, head and arms resting on the mattress while his body sat in an uncomfortable chair to the side. Slowly, you reached your hand forward and ran your fingers through his hair. The action caused him to jerk awake with a start, relaxing when he realized you were awake. 

           “Well, hello there, Sleepy Head,” you giggled softly. It came out more raspy than you expected. He got up to get you water and sat back down next to you, pulling himself closer, holding the cup to your lips.    
           “How do you feel?” he asked, his voice heavy from sleep and something else. He pulled the cup away, setting it on the bedside table, then pulling your hand into both of his. He leaned down to kiss your knuckles and you sighed. 

           “I feel like I got punched by the Hulk,” you said lightly, trying to get the worry off his face. He only gave you a half-hearted glare. “I’m, uh, in pain all over. I don’t remember too much besides the uhm...punches and knife cuts.” 

           Clint took in a deep breath but you could hear how shaky it was. “I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. I’m so sorry I let him get to you. That I couldn’t save you from him.” He put his forehead to your hand and let out a soft sob. You ignored the pain and reached your other hand over to rest on his cheek. He looked up at you with tears in his eyes matching the teary look in yours. 

            “You’re here now. I’m okay. We’re okay,” you said smiling as much as you could with the pain in your face. “Ironically, I thought you were going to be the one hurt after the mission.” He shook his head, looking away for a second, his lips twitching in the corners. He opened his mouth to say something with F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in from above.

           “Glad to see you’re awake, Miss. There are several people waiting outside your door to see you.”

           “Send them in, F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” you told the AI. “And please, I’ve told you before, call me ‘Kat. Everyone else does.”

           The door opens and in stumbles the biggest group of superhero dorks you’ve ever seen. It put another smile on your face. Tony was the first to your bed, but when Clint refused to move, he made a disgruntled noise and moved to the otherside. He placed a hand on your upper arm and kissed you on the forehead. 

          “You gave us a bit of a scare there KitKat,” he said, not quite meeting your eye. You pulled your hand up and placed it over his.    
          “I’m sorry, Tony,” you said. You willed him to look at you. You’d never seen so much raw emotion on his face.

          “Yeah, well. You’re ordering things online from now on,” he said. You made a face at him. “I’m heading back to the lab. I’ll be back later.” He said, leaving abruptly. You looked around the room at the rest of the team. Steve had a soft smile on his face, as did Bruce and Sam. Natasha and Bucky looked to be struggling a bit schooling their faces, and Wanda looked to be an absolute mess. You held out your hand toward Wanda, who rushed to the open spot next to your bed.

           “I’m so sorry, Kitty,” she sobbed into your shoulder. “I shouldn’t have made us go out. I should’ve stayed with you. It’s all my fault.” 

           “Wanda, honey, it’s not your fault. He would have found me eventually. I was stupid to think I was free from him,” you said, running your fingers through her hair. “To be fair, it was a lovely afternoon before that. I want to go back later and get that first outfit.”

           Wanda sat up and looked at you, with shock on her face, tears still in her eyes. “With the…?” You nodded and glanced at Clint, noticing his confused expression. Wanda smiled. “Okay! We’ll go again with Natasha when you get better.” Nat nodded in the background. She gave you a look that meant something along the lines of having to talk to her later, but decided to let Wanda pull her out of the room. 

           “So how long am I here for?” you asked the remaining men.

           “Well, you’re covered in bruises, and some cuts and gashes that required stitches,” Bruce started. “You lost a lot of blood, and have two broken ribs, but luckily they didn’t pierce any organs. And you have a sprained ankle so you’ll be in a brace for a little while. Dr. Cho wants to keep you overnight, to keep an eye on your vitals, but if she clears you after that, you should be able to go wherever you want. But you’ll have to take it easy for a while.”

           “Perfect. Thanks, Bruce.” You smiled and he returned it, leaving you to go to the lab. 

           “Hey, Buck,” you said trying to make eye contact. “Why don’t you come over here, I don’t bite.” When he didn’t make a move, Sam nudged him forward. Bucky slowly came toward your bed, sitting in the chair next to you, eyes forward still avoiding yours. 

          “Bucky, look at me,” you said, reaching to put your hand on his cheek. He let you, turning his head and leaning into your palm. “I’m alright, Bucky, I’m here. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Your voice got caught in your throat a bit. You smoothed your thumb over his cheek. “Okay, Buck? I’m here.” He nodded, removing your hand from his face. He looked into your eyes, then got up kissing your forehead and made to leave. 

           “Glad you’re okay, Kat,” Steve says, nodding at you. 

           “Yeah, this tower isn’t big enough for two drama queens,” Sam said eyeing Bucky. He winked at you and waved, walking out behind the super soldiers. You laughed and waved as they left.

           “Why don’t you get some more sleep?” Clint asked, rubbing your leg over the thin blanket. 

           “I don’t want to without you,” you said, eyelids already getting heavy, the mixture of pain meds and exhaustion finally kicking in again. “Come here.” You pouted and he chuckled lightly. He got up and helped move you over a bit in the bed, careful not to jostle you too much. He laid down next to you, arm around your waist and you turned slightly into him. You sighed deeply, wincing at the pain, but feeling content with your soulmate right next to you again.

           “Sleep, Sweetheart,” Clint said, as you start to doze off. “I’ll be here.” You snuggled into him further, already accepting the sweet embrace of sleep, and through your drowsy state, you could’ve sworn you heard him say, “I love you.”


	7. Everything Has Changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit short! Some fluff and feels.

“Bucky! I can walk you know,” you say as the super soldier carries you bridal style down the medical wing corridor. You tighten your grip at the fast pace he has set.

           “Yeah, yeah, Doll, I know,” he says patronizingly. “But you’re slow and we have the common room all set up. Keep in mind, it was Steve’s and my idea.”

           “Hey! I helped too!” Clint was running down the hallway behind you with your crutches in his arms. He’d been unable to stop Bucky from scooping you out of bed the second you were released and instead of fighting him on it, he decided to keep his complaints to himself. You suspect Bucky might intimidate him a bit, but you’d never bring that up. 

           “I’m sure it will be lovely,” you said giggling. 

           “Close your eyes, Doll. You have to get the full effect,” Bucky says as you entered the elevator, and you didn’t have the heart to disagree, so you went with it. You could hear Clint mumbling under his breath, so you reached out your hand, and a moment later you felt him hold onto your fingers, giving them a squeeze. 

           You lost contact as the elevator dinged open. Bucky rushed you forward and you felt yourself being placed on some pillows but you kept your eyes closed. You heard shuffling to the side, and several bodies sitting down. You felt someone sit next to you and wrap their arm around your shoulders.  

           “Okay, open your eyes,” Clint said.             

           You blinked your eyes open and gasped. The boys had made you a giant pillow fort, if it could even be called that. There were cushions all over the floor and what looked like poles holding up blankets above you all. Strings lights bordered the the top of the fort and you suspected the windows had been darkened to emphasize the cozy lighting. The giant tv was at the head of the fort, already set to play a comedy movie Sam talked about last week. There were several bowls of popcorn so that there’d be enough for everyone and Sam and Bucky wouldn’t fight over it. Almost everyone was here, cozied up on the floor with blankets and pillows, even Natasha looked content and surprisingly not annoyed. The only people missing were Bruce, who claimed this just wasn’t his thing, and Tony.

            “Guys! This is great,” you said, blinking back tears that threatened to fall. “You guys did all this for me?”

           “Of course, Doll. We missed movie night because of the mission and other events....” Bucky said, trailing off.

           “But you mean a lot of all of us and you deserve this,” Steve says. “It really isn’t much, but we thought you’d appreciate this more than the movie room.”

           “Steve, Bucky. You guys are the best, I really appreciate it. Thank you,” you say, feeling the arm around you tighten slightly. You turn your head and look into Clint’s eyes before you kiss his cheek. “And thank you, for everything.” 

           Nat throws a piece of popcorn at you, and you stick your tongue out at her. Sam starts the movie and you lean back on the base of the couch. You don’t know how you managed it, but you have the best family. You can’t help but wonder about Tony though, he hadn’t come back to your hospital room and his lack of presence here worries you. Clint’s hand on your shoulder moves to the back of your neck, massaging it lightly, and you can feel a thrum of warmth coming from your soulmark. You settle against him with your head on his shoulder and his arms move to wrap around your waist. Worrying about Tony can wait until tonight.

 

* * *

 

           “Damn,” Tony says as you walk into the lab. From where you are, leaning on your crutches, you can see he’s using a soldering iron. He must have burned himself. It’s late, and Black Sabbath is playing on the speakers overhead, loud enough that Bruce is on his side of the lab with noise-cancelling headphones on. He looks up and you wave to him, and he nods back, returning to his work. You take a seat on the stool beside Tony and only get his attention when you tell F.R.I.D.A.Y. to turn down the volume.

           “Whatcha doing down here, KitKat?” He asks, going back to his work.

           “We missed you earlier, you know?” 

           He shrugs. “Yeah, well I have this project I’m working on. Not really interested in the movie anyway.” He won’t look at you though.

           “Why didn’t you come back to my hospital room yesterday? Or today for that matter?” He shrugs again but doesn’t respond. You sigh, and lean forward, taking the soldering iron gently from his hand, and turn it off. “Tony? Are you avoiding me?” you ask. 

           You can see it in his eyes that you’ve touched on something. “I’m not avoiding you.” 

           “Bullshit.” That gets his attention and he turns his gaze to you. “I know when I’m being lied to, Tony,” you say softly. He sighs deeply, then turns in his seat fully and takes your hands in his.

           “You’re right. I was avoiding you. All of this is my fault. You shouldn’t have been taken, or hurt. I should have had Happy stay with you, or not let you leave the Tower with all of us gone. It’s not safe out there.”

           “Tony, you’re being ridiculous. None of this is your fault. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here at all. You saved me. Twice!” You can feel him trying to pull his hands away, but you held on. “But you know all that. And sure maybe extra protection would’ve helped but probably not. If it hadn’t been yesterday, it would’ve been a different day. But you put an end to that.” 

           “You don’t understand, kid. You didn’t see yourself, covered in blood and dirt, cuts and bruises all over you. You were shaking, holding a gun when I found you. You looked so… vulnerable. And it’s not the first time I’ve see you look so vulnerable.” Tears were in his eyes, and his voice was thick. “The minute we found out you were taken, I thought I’d failed you. But when I saw you in that forest...and then you passed out in my arms...I  _ knew _ I’d failed you. And I’m so sorry. I never....”

           You got off your seat and wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him you, promptly cutting him off. “You saved me and I’m so thankful for you. You haven’t failed me.” Slowly you felt his arms wrap around you. 

           “This might sound, uh, weird…” He starts. You’re silent waiting for him to continue. “I don’t have kids, and I’ve never really wanted them...But with you...To me, it feels like you’re mine…I don’t know. That sounds weird. You probably don’t want that. I’m sorry.” He tries to pull back but you held on, and he tenses.

           “You feel like another father to me, Tony.” He relaxes. “AndI love you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

           “Ah, well…,” he hesitates, patting your head. “Love you too, kiddo.”

* * *

 

 

_    “Open your eyes, Babe. Look what we have here,” He says, yanking back the man’s bag covered head. “Looks like we caught a little birdy in our trap.” He yanked the hood off the man’s head to reveal Clint. His face was battered, his right eye swollen shut and his lip cut. He was straining in the chair against the ropes that tied him to the chair. He squinted at the sudden light until his eye finally landed on you. Shackled to the chains hanging from the ceiling in the Hydra base, you were helpless. You were gagged, struggling to breathe let alone yell out to him.  _

_             You yanked against your restraints, the metal cuffs cutting into your wrists, as you tried to break free and get to Clint. There was an overwhelming feeling of fear and worry coming from your soulmark. Lying on the floor all around you were the bodies of the Avengers, all dead. Natasha’s body was lying directly in front of you, eyes open, arm reaching out toward you. You felt bile rise up your throat but you couldn’t do much about it. _

_            “Oh, Sweet Cheeks, you think I wasn’t going to find them, find him? That I was going to just let you live happy and free?!” Mason asks, dragging a knife down the column of Clints neck. There was a bullet hole in Mason’s forehead and blood had started flowing down his face, but He just blinked through it. “You made my life hell. I’m going to make sure you are never happy again.”  _

_            You watch helplessly as Mason brings the knife back then stabs the blade into Clint’s chest, laughing maniacally. You couldn’t help but scream.  _

  
  


           “Kitten? Wake up! Kat!”

           You sit up in bed abruptly, adjusting your eyes to the darkness. Your heart was racing as you looked around your room. Clint was leaning over you, worry written across his face. You placed a hand on your chest, trying to calm down. Clint brought you a glass of water and sat next to you, rubbing a hand on your back.

           “Are you alright, Sweetheart?” he asked. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. woke me up saying you were screaming in your sleep.”

           “Yeah, I guess,” you said. You weren’t, but you didn’t want to tell him that. 

           He kissed your temple. “Do you want to talk about it?” Did you want to talk about it? 

           “No, I’m fine,” you say, and even you could hear the lie in your voice that time.

           “Come here,” he says gently, pulling you into him to rest against his chest. He pulled the blankets around you both, resting his hands on your lap, fingers entwined with yours. “You know, after the Attack on New York, I had nightmares too. Loki had me brainwashed for a bit of time and I almost killed my best friend. And the attack with the Chitauri...I used to dream about killing Nat, and it took me a long time before I was alright enough to have a dreamless sleep for a few hours. Nat helped me through it though. We all have nightmares, Kitten.”

           You shrugged but nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, Clint.”

           “Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for.” He paused, placing a kiss to the side of your head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

           You contemplated saying ‘no’ but Clint had been open with you. “I, uhm, i-it was in the warehouse. Th-they were dead, Clint, all of them. On the floor around me. He, uhm, he had me chained up again, and you were…He had you...” You stopped shaking your head. 

           “It’s okay, Sweetheart. I’m fine. The team is fine. I’m right here. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you or any of us any more.” 

           You nodded and turned to snuggle into his chest. Clint positioned you so you both were laying down now. He stroked your arm with one hand, while rubbing your back with the other.

           “You want to know what really scared me?” he asked. “When I felt the pain of my soulmark, I was scared. But when I knew you’d been kidnapped and we didn’t have any leads to where you might be, I was terrified that I was never going to see you again. That I was never going to get the chance to tell you I love you.”

           You gasped. “You love me?”

           “Of course I do, Kitten,” he chuckled. “It’s hard not to. You’re perfect for me.”

           You looked up into his eyes and knew he meant it. You could feel the love and warmth coming from the soulmark. “I love you too, Clint.”

           You stayed like that for a while wrapped in each other’s arms. You listened to his breathing, slow and steady enough you thought he was asleep, until he spoke. “Do you want to move into my room? I know I sleep better with you near me, and maybe I could help you with your nightmares?”

           His eyes were still closed, but you knew he was waiting for a response. Honestly, you’d wanted to move into his room with him for a while but for the sake of going slow and getting to know each other, you hadn’t asked to do it yet. This just seemed right.

           “I would love to,” you answered, ready for this next step with your soulmate.


	8. The Kids Aren't Alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more filler (necessary but still)

           “What are you doing up this late at night?”

           You jump at the sudden voice in the otherwise empty kitchen. Your favorite super soldier stood in the doorway, in sweatpants and a t-shirt with Cap’s shield on it, sporting bags under his own eyes. 

           “Just needed some coffee, can’t sleep.” You shrug. He moves past your position at the counter, takes a mug from the cabinet and pours himself some coffee. 

           “How’s the leg feeling?” He asks, nodding to your previously injured ankle. It had been four weeks or so since you’d been rescued and in that time, your leg and your broken ribs had healed up pretty nicely. 

           “Pretty good, actually.” He hums at that. 

           “What are you really doing awake this late?” You open your mouth to disagree, but Bucky shoots you a look and you sigh. 

           “I keep having nightmares,” you say, looking into your mug. “They won’t go away. Every time I close my eyes it’s you or Tony or Clint being hurt or killed. And I’m helpless to actually help you.” Your hands start to shake. “I just don’t know what to do anymore and staying awake feels like a better plan that being asleep.”

           Bucky places his hands over yours, placing your mug on the counter, and with two of his metal fingers, guides your chin up to look him in the eyes. You see pain and understanding in his blue-grey irises. It hits you then, of course Bucky understands, better than anyone, you think. There’d been a number of nights you’d come down to get some water or a snack and found Bucky alone on the couch or out on the balcony. It took him a while but he’d finally told you about everything, about his past but about his nightmares and while things had gotten better for him lately, that didn’t help the guilt he carried with him. If you were being honest, those late night talks, or not-talks when Bucky just needed someone to sit with him, are how your friendship became so strong. 

           He pulled you into hug, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, and you stood there for several minutes, basking in the comfort that is Bucky. 

           “Everything will be alright, Little One,” he said into your hair. “Really, it will be. You are safe here and you’re safe with us. Plus,” he pulls back to look at your face, “killing me isn’t exactly easy.” He smirks. 

           You roll your eyes. “Uh huh, whatever.” You take a sip of your coffee, savoring the rich taste.

           “Come on, let’s go watch some trashy reality show. It’ll clear your mind.” He takes your hand and drags you over to the couch, and you plop down next to him, careful not to spill your coffee. The TV flicks on and sure enough, there’s a trashy reality show playing, two girls fighting over a shoe it looks like. You cuddle into Bucky’s side a bit more and he takes the mug out of your hand, placing it on the coffee table. 

           As Bucky combs his fingers through your hair, you start to think on what’s really bothering you. Had you been stronger, maybe Mason couldn’t have taken you so easily. You would’ve been able to defend yourself. Maybe your fight or flight response would have leaned more toward fight and you would’ve been able to save yourself instead of been taken. You know you’re lucky He had been distracted and you’d been able to grab his gun, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now. If you had faster reflexes or better instincts, maybe things would have gone differently. Maye if you started training with Natasha, she could teach you self-defense moves. Running with the guys would help endurance and maybe reflexes? It’s better than nothing.

           “Hey Bucky?”

           “Hmm?”

           “Do you mind if I run with you and Steve and Sam in the morning?” You felt him take a deep breath and you could tell he was starting to nod off, but he hummed in agreement anyway.

           Good. You fall asleep determined to start being all-around better tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

           “On your left!” Sam yells as he jogs past you. By the shit-eating grin he’s wearing, you can tell he’s always wanted to do that. “Pick up the pace, Short Stuff.” He sent a wink your way as headed in the direction the super soldiers went. A couple minutes later, Bucky and Steve sped by you and you huffed in frustration. You understand now, why Sam said you wouldn’t enjoy this. You were out of shape, you knew that, but really the super serum wasn’t fair. You slowed your pace to a walk, gasping for air. 

           “You alright, Kat?” Steve walked up to you, holding out his water bottle for you. You gladly accepted and drank eagerly from it. You nodded when your breathing finally evened out. “Want me to take you home?”

            “Nah, I’ll just keep walking, you guys go ahead and finish your run. I’ll be fine.” You walked over to a bench on the side of the path and sat down, your legs feeling like jelly. Steve just chuckles and takes off. Twenty minutes later, the boys all meet you at the bench, Bucky and Steve barely having broken a sweat, Sam practically drowning in it with a scowl on his face. 

            “Come on, Little One,” Bucky says, swinging an arm around your shoulders, “Gotta get you home and put some food in you before you start sparring. Nat agreed, right?” You nodded. You had texted Nat before your run and she’d sent back a reply almost immediately, happy to help teach you. Almost too happy to teach you to fight. That should have been the tip off really, and you would regret not having prepared yourself when that afternoon, you’re lying on your back on the mat in the gym, staring up at Nat’s grinning face. 

            “Come on,  _ kotenok, _ ” she says, “Try again.” She holds a hand out for you to take and pulls you to your feet.

            You shake out your arms and legs and wait for Nat to engage you from behind. You feel her arm wrap around your neck while the other is behind you in a finger gun pose, poking into your back. You kick back at her knee, hoping she drops and loosens her grip, while you try to crouch to get out of her hold. You do for a moment, before she recovers, and comes at your tackling you to the ground, sitting on your stomach with one hand on your arm beside your head and the other as a finger gun to your forehead. 

            “Dead,” she says, and you sigh. You’ve been at this for two hours and you were exhausted. Maybe you should just call it quits and try again tomorrow. You look up at Nat and see she’s smirking. At least one of you is enjoying themself.

            “Just what do you think you’re doing to my soulmate, Nat? As lovely as a scene this is to walk in on, can’t help but feel a bit threatened.” You both turn to see Clint strutting into the gym. Nat just rolls his eyes while your whole body blushes, partly out of embarrassment, but mostly because you hadn’t told Clint, but rather avoided him, leaving early with the guys then hiding out in the library until your sparring session.

            “I’m training her, Clint.”

            His eyebrows shoot up his face, and he looks from you to Nat and back again. “Like hell you are.”

            “Clint, come on,” you saying jumping up off the floor. You walk up to him and grab his hands. “I want to be able to defend myself, honey. And really, who better than Nat? And Bucky and Steve and Sam let me go running with them so I have endurance and stuff and really it’s not a bad idea once you think about it, right?” He looks at you skeptically, and you know he can feel you holding back something else through the soulbond. You decide to just come out with it. “And maybe if I train hard enough and practice my abilities, I could be on the team, you know? I don’t have a job right now, and I want to help save people and do something good for people. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”

            “No…” he says, shaking his head. Then his eyes meet yours, “...yes. That makes sense. Ugh! Why couldn’t you just be happy living here and having a simple life? You don’t have to work or anything...” You wait, letting him work through his thoughts. Absentmindedly, you start rubbing circles over his knuckles. “I guess self defense would keep you safer, but I don’t know about you joining the team, Kitten. I don’t want you to get hurt. I’d be lost without you and we fight all sorts of things and you would be safer here…” He glances up at Nat for help, to no avail, as she smirks and give him a look. He sighs. “Fine. If you want to train, then you can. Of course you can. I’m not going to tell you you can’t. I just want you to be safe, and be careful, okay?”

            “Of course, Clint.” You rise up on your toes to kiss him and he meets you halfway. “I love you too.” He blushes and it makes you feel giddy. “Can we please go rest now? My legs feel like jello and I’m sure I’m covered in bruises, because of her,” you say jerking your thumb in Nat’s direction.

             “Sure thing, Kitten.” He bends down and picks you up, grinning and your giggling. Nat rolls her eyes and saunters out the door, you two following behind her.

 

* * *

 

           “Fuck.”

           “That’s some language on you. You kiss Bird Brain with that mouth?” Tony says walking into the common room. You were laying on the couch, ice on the bigger bruises on your arms and legs. Clint sat behind you, your head in his lap, and had just laid his arm across your waist and brushed a bruise. You winced when you heard Tony’s voice. It’d been a few days of training and while you were definitely getting better at defending yourself, you were still getting knocked on your ass more often than not, and you had successfully avoided Tony until now. He stopped when he got to the side of the couch and eyed the ice packs. “What’s up with those?”

           “Uhm, well, okay so don’t be mad,” you said sitting up and grimacing at the pain. Clint shoots you a sympathetic look, and rubs your arm, but otherwise stays silent.

           “Oh boy, KitKat, don’t you know you’re never supposed to start off saying that?” He crosses his arms and waits. 

           “I wanted to start training to defend myself, so I wouldn’t be victim of a kidnapping again or something. So I enlisted Nat’s help, and I’ve started running with Bucky. But then I thought, why stop there? I don’t exactly have a job right now, and I’m feeling pretty useless. And then it only made sense that if I trained and practiced my shapeshifting skills enough, that maybe I could even join the team and--”

           “Nope, nope, no. Not a chance, Kiddo. You’re not joining the team. It’s too dangerous.” He’s already walking away when you snap out of your stunned position.

           “But Tony!” You hurry to catch him in the elevator. Tears started forming in your eyes, and you blame your exhaustion. “Tony, come on! I could be doing something good with my time. I can train to be stronger and faster. Defend myself and fight back! And I have an ability that’s more like a curse but maybe it can be used to actually maybe help and be used for good! ”

            He leaned on the wall in the elevator, looking anywhere but your face. You still had your hand on the open door. 

            “Don’t you trust me?”

            “Of course I trust you, Kat,” he says coming up to you then. “I really do. And you know I love you. But I can’t risk you getting seriously hurt. I can’t. Not again. I’ll find something you can do for the team from here if you insist on helping. But I don’t want you to be in the field.” He kisses you on the head and backs you out of the elevator a few steps before stepping back in. You watch as the doors slide closed behind him.

             You feel arms slide around your waist and a head rest on your shoulder. “Kitten, are you alright?” You nod numbly. “He just wants you to be safe. We all do.” He grabs your hand and leads you back to the couch, pulling you up against his chest and tuggin the blanket over you two. You turn, snuggling into his chest as he turns on a movie from your shared watchlist. 

              His hand stroking down your back slows down as he starts to drift off, his breathing slowing down. You, on the other hand, are wide awake. You don’t want to make Tony upset, but you are your own person and you want to do something to help. You can help. It’ll take extra effort and practice might not make perfect, but you could try your hardest and fight to some degree. Maybe you could convince Bucky to teach you how to shoot a gun. The only downside of this whole endeavor would be disappointing Tony. You’d keep your training a secret for now. If he saw you after you’ve learned new skills, saw that you could handle yourself, he’ll know how right you were all along and let you join the team. 

            It’s decided then Operation Train to Be an Avenger is go.

 

* * *

 

           “You’re getting...really good at this, Kitty Kat,” Sam huffed from below you on the mat. 

           “Well she should be, for the amount of effort she’s been putting in everyday,” Nat says, and you swear there was proud smile on her face. You’d been training with her for a few weeks now. At first it was just for self-defense, but then you pleaded her to teach you offensive moves. And really how could she say no to that, when you were so eager to learn? So she’d been teaching you how to fight, and while you couldn’t quite pin her yet, you were surprisingly good at flipping then pinning Sam. Which Bucky and Steve loved to watch.

           “Quit laughing over there,” Sam shouted, then muttered something under his breath you couldn’t quite catch. 

           “Wanna go again?” you asked, as innocently as you could, and you saw nat wink at you out of the corner of your eye. 

           “Fine. One more time. I went easy on you before.”

           You helped him back up and took up a fighting stance once again. He lunged for you and you side stepped, sending a punch to his side. He grunted, but recovered and proceeded to throw punches at you. You blocked them and fought back pretty well, until he threw a series of quick jabs, faster than you thought he was capable of, and hit you in you shoulder, then knocking you off your feet. The world spun for a moment when your back hit the mat and you could hear the gasps of Steve and Bucky nearby. 

            “Forfeit,” Sam says, kneeling over you with his forearm over your throat, a giant smile on his face. 

            “Never.” You morphed to look like a clone of Sam and he paused for a moment in shock, loosening his hold on you. You took that lapse of attention to knee him in the groin and knock him off of you, flipping your positions, and landing on his stomach. Your leg sat on one of his arms, while you held the other beside his head and your hand was around his throat.

            “Forfeit,” you mocked back at him and he grumbled something of defeat. You knew you were grinning like an idiot, but damn if you weren’t proud of yourself for catching him off-guard.

            You heard clapping above you and looked up to see Clint watching from the vent, and proud smile on his own face. Below you, Sam cleared his throat and you got off him. 

            “Good job, Kat, knew you could do it,” Steve says, patting you on the back.

            “Yeah, I’ll never get tired of seeing Wilson getting his ass handed to him,” Bucky laughs, giving you a side hug. 

            “It was a good idea, using your ability to momentarily stun him,” Nat says. “Good job.” You were beaming as you walked out of the gym with everyone. Clint slid out of the vent by the gym entrance and joined you all in the elevator. 

            Just as you were about to voice your opinion about what you guys should get for dinner, a series of beeps went off from everyone’s phones. Well, everyone’s except yours.

            “It looks like there’s a mission. Shower and gear up, meet at the hangar in twenty,” Steve says, stepping off the elevator once the doors open. 

            “Can I go too?” you ask, but the looks on their faces answer your question.

            “Kitten, I’m sorry.” Clint pulls you to him, rubbing your back. “We’ve talked about this. You can’t join. At least not now, and I know you’ve gotten better, really I do know. But I don’t call the shots and Tony and Cap and Fury aren’t letting you on the team yet, so for now you have to stay here. Okay? It’s safer for you.” 

           “But you can use me! What if you need me? I can help!”

           “I know you can. But it’s not up to me.” He kisses your cheek and pulls you with him to your room. You know you’re pouting and most likely look like a child throwing a tantrum, so you sigh and head into the bathroom to shower. When you get out, Clint is in his own uniform with his quiver of arrows strapped to his back, and you feel super underdressed in just the bath towel. He looks up when the door opens, and pulls you to him, and you yelp at the sudden action. He leans down and kisses your neck and you close your eyes, melting into him and savor the moment. After a few minutes you break away. 

            “Let me get dressed so I can see you off.” You place a kiss on his chest and go get dressed, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and one of Clint’s t-shirts. 

            You walk down to the hangar where most everyone is already waiting in the quinjet. Bruce is leaning against a wall by the door; you suppose he’s not needed for this mission. Clint pulls you to his chest again, arms around your shoulders as yours go around his waist. You hold on tight to each other, and he kisses your hair. 

            “You come back to me, Clint. I mean it.”

            He laughs, and you smack his chest. “I will, Kitten. I promise. I love you.”

            “I love you too.” Tony walks past the two of you then, eyes forward, going straight onto the Quinjet. You sigh. “Keep an eye on Tony too, please.” 

            You and Tony hadn’t talked much since the argument by the elevator, more or less avoiding each other for weeks, but that didn’t mean you wanted anything to happen to him. You still loved him You were more worried about him now than ever. You’d asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. about his health several times and she would mention his lack of sleep and actual food. You couldn’t help but blame yourself, but you were too determined to train and be something bigger and better, and he didn’t approve. 

            “I’ll keep an eye on the Tin Man, honey. But he’ll be okay. We all will.”

            “You better be.” You kissed him, then sent him off to the jet and stood by Bruce, waving them off. You couldn’t help but worry, a feeling on the edge of your subconscious giving you the inkling that something bad was going to happen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this is such a late update and it's shorter than intended! 
> 
> Four people got fired from my job on the same day so we've all been scheduled extra shifts to fill in the gaps in the work schedule. (I've worked everyday since last Saturday and still go in tonight and tomorrow and Sunday.) But, I know how I want the rest of this story to go! So that's something to look forward to. 
> 
> Also I want to start writing one-shots or 2-3 chapter stories, and while I have a few ideas already started, prompts would be appreciated as well! So if you have a prompt idea in mind, Ask Me on Tumblr! :)


	9. So, We Meet Again

           “Something’s wrong.” Bruce’s head jerks up as you break the silence in the lab. You were spending some quiet time with Bruce while he worked, doing a digital coloring book on the Stark Pad Tony gave you, when you felt the disturbance. 

           “What do you mean, ‘Something’s wrong?’” He asked, taking his glasses off.

           “I don’t know. I just feel a lot of worry and distress coming from the soulmark. Something is definitely wrong, Bruce.” He pauses for a moment, then nods. 

           “I’ll contact Natasha, see if their mission is going alright.” He pulls out his phone and dials her number, while you stay on the couch, your leg bouncing with the anxiety. He sets the phone down after a few minutes, a little harder than necessary. “She didn’t answer. But before you start to worry, that could just mean they’re a little busy right now.” That doesn’t exactly make you feel better but you decide not to voice that thought. 

           “F.R.I.D.A.Y., do you have a location for them?” you ask, walking up to the large screen on the far wall. 

           “Sure thing, Miss.” The screen lights up and you see eight red dots in Northwest Washington state. Wait, that can’t be right. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., there should be nine dots here. There’s only eight. Who’s missing?” 

            “Boss cannot be located at this time. I have not been able to reach him for 36 minutes,“ said the AI, with what you could have sworn was sadness in her voice.

            “Patch me through to Clint, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Please.” You lean on the table nearby and place a hand over your soulmark, hoping to send a feeling of calm or love to Clint, to let him know you’re there. 

           The speakers crackle to life and you hear fighting sounds in the distance. “Clint? Can you hear me?”

           “Kitten? Yeah, I’m here. It’s not a great time, honey.” There’s some kind of explosion in the background.

           “Yeah, I can feel that. Where’s Tony?” The pause he took was too long to be comforting. 

           “He was...We don’t know.” It felt like the breath was kicked out of you. “He was fighting a large group of agents out back while we were fighting them in the building. He hasn’t responded to us in a while.” You couldn’t breathe. Bruce came and laid a hand on your shoulder. You sighed.

            “Are you guys alright?” Bruce asked as you tried to calm down. 

           “Yeah, we’re fine. We’re almost done here. Then we’ll set off to find Stark.”

           “Right. Okay. Call me if you need back up,” Bruce said. 

           “Will do.” There were several more gunshots in the background. “Honey, it’ll be alright. We’ll find him.” You nodded and opened your mouth to say something when the call ended. 

           “Come on, Kat. I’ll make you some tea. They’ll find Tony. He’s a resilient one, you know that.” With  hand on your back, he guided you up to the common room and set you on a couch then went to the kitchen to make some tea. You could still feel the distress coming from the soulmark. He wouldn’t lie to you though, and they’re the Avengers, they can do anything. It will be fine. Bruce came back with two mugs of tea in his hands, holding out one for you to take. 

           “Drink, it’ll help you feel better.” You rolled your eyes, but took a sip anyway. You sat with Bruce in the quiet of the common room. He read a book and you settled deeper into the couch, feeling yourself starting to fall asleep. Just before you dozed off, there was an alarm of sorts blaring through the Tower. You jumped up narrowly avoiding knocking over your abandoned tea and looked at Bruce, who had a worried expression on his face. 

            “Incoming Call from Captain Rogers,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

            “Banner, we’re on our way back,” Steve’s voice rings through the room. “There’s been an incident. Make sure medical is ready. We’ll be there in an hour.” The call cuts off abruptly.

            Bruce gives you a hug before heading down to the medical wing. You take a deep breath and try to reach out through the soulmark to judge if Clint’s okay, only there’s no emotion coming from the other side. No anxiety or distress or pain. Fuck, you would kill for something, anything to let you know he’s alive and okay.

 

* * *

  
  


            “Kat, stay back a bit,” Bruce says, holding your arm as you stand together at the loading dock, while the Quinjet lands.

            “The doors of the Quinjet open and Steve and Bucky rush out, carrying an unconscious Clint between them. You start for them, but Bruce holds you back, clearing their path to the elevator. Your hand flies to your mouth and the tears start welling up in your eyes. The rest of the Avengers step off the Quinjet in various states of wellness. Natasha face is hard with a coldness you can’t quite identify. It softens a bit when she sees you and she holds your hand as she pulls you to the elevator. As you step inside, she gives everyone else a lok and they take a step back, leaving you two alone and wait for the next one. Once the door closes, she pulls you into her, wrapping her arms around you, holding you tight. You put your arms around her waist and wait. 

             “What happened, Nat?” 

             “We got a hit on a Hydra base in Washington, and we got split up. Tony was handling the enemies outside, while the rest of us had gone. We lost contact with Tony after there was an explosion outside but we didn’t have time to look for him. Hydra’s been working on a new weapon and someone took a shot at Clint and I could stop it.” her voice wavered at the end. “He went down instantly, still breathing but unconscious. All the enemies in the base were taken care of but we couldn’t find Tony. it was like he vanished, until we spotted a Hydra agent still alive on the ground. He mocked us, and said we’d never find him, that he was in Hydra’s hands now. I shot him before he could take his next breath.” Her voice was cold like ice and your grip on her tightened. 

            The elevator doors opened to the medical wing and you both straightened up before walking out. You spotted Bucky and Steve and practically ran into Bucky’s arms. 

           “Is he going to be okay?” 

           “We don’t know yet. He took a nasty hit. They need to do X-Rays and an MRI at the very least to determine what the damage is,” Bucky said. 

           Steve put a hand on your shoulder before turning to Natasha. “We’re meeting with the team in five. Sam found an invitation to a gala in Los Angeles dated for Friday evening in one of the offices at the Hydra base.” She nods and heads back up with him.

            “I’m not going anywhere, Little One,” Bucky says into your hair. You sit down in the chairs provided and wait. You can hear some mumbling from the comm unit still in Bucky’s ear, you figure he's still tuned into the meeting with the team. After another hour, Dr. Cho comes out of a door and lets you know Clint is in his own room now. 

            “He's stable but he took a lot of damage to his head. There's a chance he may wake up with amnesia but it would be temporary if that were the case,” she said, putting his chart at the end of his bed. “There was a something in his blood that we couldn't identify but are researching as we speak. However, he should make a full recovery.” 

            “Thanks, Doc,” Bucky says.

            You don't hear her leave. Instead, you're sitting next to Clint’s bed, focused on your soulmate. His eyes are closed and his breathing is so slow, it almost looks like he's dead. You reach out and rest your hand on his arm. His skin is surprisingly cold to touch. You don't realize you're crying until you feel water dripping onto your arm. Bucky lays his hand on the back of your neck, smoothing circles into your skin with his thumb. 

            “Come here, Little One,” he says, pulling you against him. You grip onto his shirt and bury your face into his stomach. “The doctor said he'll recover, and he will. You know Clint. He wouldn't leave you alone.” 

           You nod. You feel numb. You know he's not dead but his presence with your soulmark is faint and it's heartbreaking to know that you can't do anything to heal him. Meanwhile, Tony is missing and the last thing you've really said to each other, weeks ago, was an argument. All you can think is the last thing he may ever remember of you is something stupid. 

          “Yeah, I'll ask her,” Bucky says, pulling you out of your thoughts. “How do you feel about coming on a mission with us?”

           You couldn't believe your ears. “Really?” He nodded. “But I can't leave Clint all alone.” 

           “He won't be alone. Bruce, Wanda, and Vis are staying here and will stay with him. But we need you're specific skill set, alright?” 

           “I...are you sure? I'd feel awful leaving him.”

           “He'll be alright. He's safe. But Tony isn't and going on this mission and using your ability, we will find Tony.” 

           “Okay. I'll do it. Just... let me say goodbye, okay? I just need a few minutes.” 

           “Sure, I'll meet you in the conference room. Don't take too long.” He pays your shoulder and leaves the room.

           “Hey honey. Uhm, I don't even know what to say.” You take his hand in yours. “I'm going to go with the team and find Tony. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, and you got hurt. You promised me you would be alright. Don't you dare break your promise. I love you, and I'll be back soon.” You lean forward and kiss him on the forehead.

           You head back to the conference room where the team is sitting around the table. Everyone’s heads snap to you when you walk in. Bucky holds his hand out to you and pulls you into his lap.

           “Are you alright, Little One?” He whispers.

           “As alright as I can be.” You look at Steve. “What do you need me to do?”

           “There's a gala tomorrow night in Los Angeles. Sam found an invitation to it, which means at least someone from Hydra will be there. The idea would be to sneak in, get close enough to the HYDRA agent, and leave a tracker on them. It would lead us back to their location and most likely to Tony,” he said. “The problem is, they know who we are, they most likely have profiles on all of us. But you are not only a newer face, but you have the ability to disguise yourself as someone else so you wouldn't be discovered, in the case that the rest of HYDRA would recognize who you are.”

           “I would help you with your disguise,” Natasha said. “You can borrow one of my dresses and I'll work with you on social cues.” 

           It all made sense. You could do this. You had the ability that seemed perfect for this android trained enough with Nat and Bucky that you could at least hold your own and defend yourself.

           “Okay. Let's start.”

 

* * *

  
  


         “Let’s work on your disguise first. Go with chestnut brown, skin tone a few shades darker than your own, 5’ 7”. You don't want to stand out too much. Here, try this on.” Nat hands you a strappy, floor-length black dress. It hugged the curves of your new persona well, without being too much. “Nothing too flashy but it should do the trick.” She set a pair of simple black pumps in front of you and helped you step into them. “Perfect. This will work. Your name tomorrow will be Olivia Powell.” 

         “Are you sure this is going to work?” You studied yourself in the mirror. It’s true, you did look different enough, but you felt awkward and a bit out of place in the gown. 

         “Yeah, this will work. You’re learning from me anyway. Here.” She handed you a strap. “It’s for a knife. It straps on like where a garter belt would go. I’ll give you a knife before you go in tomorrow, just something else in case you need it. Let’s work on your walk next.” 

          The rest of the evening, Natasha taught you how to walk more confidently, how to blend in when needed, how to fight with a knife should it be necessary. You packed zipped the dress in a dress bag, and threw your makeup and hair products in a duffel bag with the shoes. It was still dark when you boarded the Quinjet with the rest of the team. You settled into a seat and Bucky strapped you in. he gripped your chin and pulled your face to look at his.

          “Everything will be alright, Little One,” he said, so sincerely, you had to believe him. He sat down next to you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. You leaned against him and tried to relax as you could feel the anxiety rising in you. You took deep breaths to calm yourself as you kept your mind focused on the mission ahead of you.

          Two hours later, the Quinjet landed on a golf course. There was a Van waiting in the empty parking lot and all of you piled in. Steve drove you to a hotel near the location of the gala that night. Sam and Steve checked in while you, Natasha and Bucky grabbed the gear. Steve ended up getting two rooms, a guys room and a girls room, which only made you roll your eyes. 

          “You do know we’re all adults here, right Stevie?” You took pleasure in the light blush on his cheeks. 

          “Aw, leave him alone. It’ll be easier for you to get ready later tonight without us guys getting in the way anyway,” Bucky says, winking at you. You just shook your head and followed by Natasha into your shared room. It was large, with two queen-sized beds, a bathroom with the biggest tub you’d ever seen, and a balcony with a decent view of the busy city streets. You set you set your duffel bag down on the edge of the bed and hung your dress bag in the closet. 

          “Get some sleep,  _ kotenok, _ ” Nat said, opening the door that connected our room to the boys’ room next door. “You’re going to need it for tonight. I’ll be right back.” 

           You changed into your pajamas, a pair of sleep shorts and one of Clint’s t-shirts, and climbed into bed. Natasha came back into the room and turned off the lights. You heard her settle onto her bed, then moments later her breathing evened out and you knew she was asleep. Sleep didn’t come so easily for you. You stared at the ceiling, worrying about tonight. What’s going to happen? Can you actually pull it off and be convincing and get close enough to a HYDRA agent? Is Tony alright? Will Clint be okay? You had prepped all that you could but if you were being honest with yourself, you were nervous. The only thing keeping you sane at this point was the thought that you could help save Tony. 

            You glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It’s blinking red numbers relaying it was just past three in the morning. You should be asleep but at this rate it was going to be impossible. Slowly, as to not wake Natasha, you got out of bed and tiptoed next door. There was a soft chorus of snores in the room. Sam and Bucky were on their own beds while Steve had taken the bed of the pull-out sofa. You crept over to Bucky’s bed and slowly slid in, cuddling up next to him. 

           “Why are you still up, Little One?” Bucky whispers, eyes still closed. 

           “Can’t sleep. Too much on my mind.” He turns onto his back and pulls you into his side. 

           “Close your eyes.” You only nod and a few moments later, your drifting off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

            “Here, put this in your ear,” Natasha says as she hands you a comm-unit. You took it from her and push it into your right ear. “Can you hear me?” You heard her loud and clear in the ear piece. You gave her a thumbs up.

             You had you full disguise on, Nat had done your hair and makeup, a soft eye look and hair in loose curls around your shoulders. 

             “Good, okay you look perfect. You’re ready. Do you have the invitation?” 

             “Right here,” Sam says coming from the door connecting your rooms, holding your invitation. You take it from him and grab your clutch. “I’ll escort you over, alright?”

             “No problem, Sam, thanks. I think I’m ready.”

             “You’ll be fine,  _ kotenok _ ,” Natasha said. “We’ll be in the van just around the corner. No need to worry. Once we spot the HYDRA agent, I’ll help guide you to him, you’ll place a tracker on him, and then you’ll take your leave. We’ll track their movements after they leave. Steve and Bucky are getting hacking into the cameras at the gala currently so we will have eyes on you.”

             “Okay. Thank you, Nat. I’ll be fine. You guys do this everyday. I can do this for one night. Easy peasy. Channel my inner assassin right?”

             She smirks at that. “Sure thing.”

             Sam walks you down the hall and you take the stairs to exit the building instead of the lobby entrance. The hotel is only a block away from the museum the gala is being held in. As you got to the corner, Sam stops you, fixes your hair, and pats you on the shoulder. 

             “No worries, right? We’re right here with you,” He said, pointing to your ear. You watch him turn around and disappear into the crowd, then turn and head up the steps to the museum. 

             At the door, you hand your invitation to the usher and he opens the door for you. Once inside you are immediately handed a glass of champagne. 

             “Walk around the room, hun,” Nat says in your ear. “You need to relax a bit.”

             You take her advice and slowly make your way around the room. You take a look at every face you see, looking out for the shifty eyes or anyone that might look out of place.

             “Kat, your two o’clock. Black hair, bow tie, glasses.” You located the man in question but he looked like he belonged, just nervous for something. He patted his suit pants and visibly sighed when he found what he was looking for, discreetly pulling out a small black boxed. He shoved it back in his pocket as a blonde in a blue dress looped her arm through his. 

             “Uhm, negative? Looks like he’s going to propose soon though.”

             You continued making your way around the room sipping your champagne, and eventually found yourself by the bar. You were setting your empty glass on the counter when your felt a body come near you. 

             “Whiskey double, neat. And whatever this lovely lady would like,” a voice said, and you froze and your eyes went wide. You knew that voice.

             “Kat, what’s wrong?” Steve asked. You didn’t answer, but schooled your face like Natashed showed you and turned toward the man instead. 

             “Just some more champagne please,” you said, hoping your smile was believable. You held your hand out, “Olivia. Olivia Powell.”

             “A beautiful name,” he said, taking your hand and kissing the back. “Alexi. Alexi Popov.”


	10. This Time Around

           “Did he just say-”

           “But that doesn’t-”

           “Kat get out of the-”

           “So nice to meet you, Mr. Popov,” you said, ignoring the chatter in your ear.

           “Please, call me Alexi.” He smiled, then released your hand.

           “Very well, Alexi.” You giggled. You steeled your nerves. There has to be a reason he’s here, and you have to be believable if you’re going to be able to help the team to stop him and find Tony..

           “So what brings you here tonight?”

           “Oh, well I’ve always loved art and appreciated the history behind the pieces.” You brought your glass back to your lips, taking a small sip.

           “History is interesting, isn’t it? It shapes so much of the world, and influences the future.” He glances up behind you, but you bite your cheek to stop from turning around. His eyes flick back to yours. “Would you like to see something truly fascinating?”

           You smiled at him and nodded, setting your glass on the counter. He took your hand and you followed behind him up the grand staircase off the side of the bar.

 

* * *

 

           “Natasha, I don’t like this. She doesn’t have training in this,” Steve says, pacing around the hotel room. “We can’t just leave here in there by herself.”

           “She’s not stupid. If anything she’s resilient,” Natasha says, eyes still focused on the video feed from the hacked cameras she was using to watch you and Alexi. She keeps her face neutral, but Steve can see the slight crease between her eyebrows. “She can defend herself. She’s smart. She will be alright.” There was a bit of an edge to her voice but Steve didn’t say anything about it.

           “What if I slipped in?” Sam said. “I could put on a suit and stay around the edges. I won’t be as easily recognized like Cap over here.”

           “No.” Natasha said. Bucky came out of the bathroom, fitted in a black suit. Everyone looked up at him, but he paid no mind to their stares.

           “ _Как ты думаешь что ты делаешь?”_ Natasha says. Bucky ignored her as he put on his shoes and she rolled her eyes. “ _держаться подальше от глаз.”_

            _“я всегда делаю.”_ Bucky pulls on a glove over his left hand, then leaves the room.

           “I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Sam says, still looking at the door.

           “He’ll keep her safe,” Steve says, watching Bucky walk down the street from the window. “Let us know when you have eyes on her, Buck,” Steve says into the comm.

 

* * *

 

            

            “Kat, you need to be careful,” Steve says in your ear. “Bucky is coming in but he’ll stay in the background.”

            You nod discreetly, walking into a room at the top of the stairs. There were few people in the room, walking around glass cases. The sign by the door said the exhibit featured pieces from ancient Egypt.

            “How do you feel about Egypt, my dear?” Alexi said, glancing at a large gold dish with turquoise embedded into the outer rim and engraved with an intricate design.

            “Egyptian art has always interested me. I like to think about what it would’ve been like to live there during ancient times and experienced the art being made,” you said, slightly surprised by how fluid that came out. “And you?”

           “Oh, the Egyptians were brilliant. Did you know they made special amulets specifically for those going to the afterlife?” He walked up to a case to the left of the room. “They believed the talismans would infuse the wearer with power and protection, usually with turquoise or lapis lazuli.” He stopped in front of a gold bird with lapis lazuli embedded in the wings. In the middle of its back was a large red gem, that looked to you to be a ruby. “A little known fact, my dear. Sometimes there were stones that actually were a source of power.” His voice was low.

            You crouched down to get a better look at the amulet as he talked. You opened your clutch slowly and slipped the tracker out.

           “This right here is a special piece. The Scarlet Falcon. It’s said the red diamond holds a great source of power. Giving the wearer impressive strength.”

           You straightened up again, holding the tracker between two fingers. “Well, it’s beautiful.”

           “That it is.” He offered you his arm. “Shall we take a look around the museum?”

           “That would be great.” You looped your arm through his and made for the entrance of the room. Walking down the stairs, you spot Bucky near the corner of the bar, holding a glass of dark liquor to his mouth. He caught your eye and he winked at you. As you reach the bottom of the stairs, you trip and Alexi steadies you. You take that moment to hold onto his shoulder while you slip your heel back into your shoe, and take the moment while he’s distracted to attach the tracker to the underside of his collar like you’ve seen in a movie once.

           He put his hands around your waist and pulled you to him, so you had no choice but to put your other arm around his neck as well. You shivered when he leaned his head close to your ear.

           “Would you care to join me for a late dinner this evening?” His voice still low.

           “I would, uh, like that very much,” you giggled. “Sorry, too much champagne. I’m just going to run to the restroom for a moment.”

           He nods and you are released from his hold. You make your way to the restrooms, passing Bucky along the way.

           “I’ve spotted three Hydra agents in the main area. No telling if there’s more,” you hear Bucky say into the comm. “I’ve got Kat, we’ll meet back in the hotel in ten minutes.”

           Bucky passed in front of you and led you to a side door that led to an employee only area. He peeked into the room and must have determined the area clear as he pulled you along and out through a door that led to the street.

           “You did good, Little One,” he said as you walked down the street. “You can breathe now.”

           And you did. You took in large gulps of air while you walked down the sidewalk.

           “Have you heard anything new about Clint?”

           “Not yet. But he’ll be alright. You know him.” You nod.

           “Good job, _kotenok,”_ Natasha said when you walk in the room. You all but collapse in her arms, morphing back into your normal appearance. “We might make an agent out of you yet.”

           “He’ll know I’ve left though, won’t he? Do you think I should have stayed?”

           “No,” Steve said. “You were in there for longer than we wanted anyway.”

           “Oh. Sorry,” you said, looking away.

           You suspect someone gave him a look because as you turned to the door separating your room from the boys’ to change, he says, “But you did a good job for your first time.”

           You sent him a grin and then hurried into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable, throwing on sweatpants and Client’s shirt from earlier. When you came back into the room, the four of them were huddled around a laptop.

            “What are you guys looking at?”

            “The Scarlet Falcon. Is this it?” Nat said turning the computer toward you.

            “Yeah, that’s it. Is that why you think he was at the gala tonight?”

            “There were documents that mention “the stone” and “the diamond” in the warehouse. This could be what they were talking about,” Sam said.

            “It makes sense. If it does have actual powers, he may want it for himself,” Bucky said. “‘Impressive strength.’ That could mean anything, but if he went the literal sense, it could be another attempt to use the diamond as a power source to create something. Maybe another form of super soldier.”

            “Then he’s going to steal it and we’re going to have to stop him,” Steve says.

            “He may wait until the event ends and take it though. Cause less of a scene. I can't imagine four hydra agents tops being able to pull off something like that with this many people around,” Sam said.

            Bucky shook his head. “He'll wait to steal it but we can't go in to stop him. We still have to track him to find Stark.”

            “Damn. Alright. We'll wait. We still have surveillance of the museum, Steve said, grown on his face. “ sit tight kids, it's gonna be a while.”

 

* * *

 

            “He's on the move,” Nat said, grabbing her gun and her jacket.

            “Let’s go.” Steve grabbed the keys and soon everyone filed down the stairs and into the van. Sam sat in the passenger seat, holding the laptop, tracking Alexi’s movements.

            “He's turning left up ahead.” Outside, the street lights flashed by and the adrenaline made your heart race. Nat put a hand on your shoulder.

            “It’s going to be alright.”

            “I really wish people would stop saying that,” you said, letting out a breathy laugh despite the tension you were feeling. “Every time someone says that, it's not actually fine and someone gets kidnapped or hurt...or both.”

             “Not letting anything happen to ya, Little One. And we'll save Stark. Besides, gotta have something to brag to him about, saving his life and all.” Bucky flashes you a lopsided smirk and you couldn't help but giggle.

              “He's getting on the freeway, North bound.”

              The drive took longer than expected and he led us to a warehouse down a seemingly abandoned road. It must be written in the manual for Bad Guys: must have warehouse locations. We trailed him with the headlights off and you heard the subtle clicks of Nat and Bucky readying their hand guns.

               “Here.” Nat shoved two knives in your hands. “I don't want you to fight. But if someone attacks you, you defend yourself and you use these knives, alright?”

               “Alright.” You swallowed and your mouth was suddenly dry.

               “Okay. Sam and I will draw their attention to the front. Nat and Buck, you two go around the side. Be careful, I can't stress that enough. Kat, you stay here.”

               “But--”

               “But nothing. You're not trained enough for this. You stay here and stay as safe as you can. If there's a problem, you tell us in the comms. But you stay here.”

                “Fine.”

                The four of them took off leaving you in the van in the dark. You could see Nat and Bucky run along the side of the building, barely lit from the light over the entrance. You watched as Steve flung his shield at two guards, knocking them unconscious. Or dead, but that's unlikely because it's Steve, you figure. Sam kicked in the door and Steve followed and you could hear the faint sounds of a commotion and shouting. And gunfire.

              All of the sudden, your chest felt like it was being constricted. Your breathing became labored and you could feel your heart pounding. This was all too familiar. The warehouse. The gunfire. This was just like before, when you almost died. When you barely escaped. It's all coming back to you, at the worst time. You're supposed to be alert. You could just kick yourself.

              “Kat. Listen to my voice. Breathe. In and hold it. One, two, three. Out. One two three.” you could hear Bucky s voice and attempted to follow along with his breathing pattern. After another minute, it returned to normal.

              “You with me, Little One?”

              “Y-yeah. I'm here.”

              “Good. You're okay. Just keep an eye out and let us in know of something out of the ordinary happens.”

              “Out of the ordinary? Like breaking into a warehouse in the middle of the night to fight Hydra soldiers and save Tony? Oh yeah, that's totally normal.”

              “And she's back,” Sam said, and you could hear Nat chuckling under her breath.

              There was a loud crash in the comm followed by a seemingly endless barrage of gunfire.

 

* * *

 

              “Fuck. Sam cover me,” Steve said.

              “Language, Cap.” Sam could practically feel the eyeroll Steve was giving him.

              Steve ran in, crouching around several shelves with crates, then jumped up into the open area and threw the shield. It ricocheted off three Hydra soldiers before returning to him. The alarms were blaring and red lights were flashing. Sam and Steve fought their way through the large warehouse and ended running into Bucky and Natasha near the back. Natasha was sitting on the shoulders of some soldier and hitting him in the head with the butt of her gun. Bucky shot the Hydra agent and another one struggling to crawl away.

                “Any sign of Stark?” Steve said, removing the cowl and wiping his forehead on his arm.

               “Not yet.” Bucky was getting irritated. Not only had they not seen Stark, but they hadn't seen that bastard Popov either.

                “Cap, over here,” Nat had her ear pressed to a metal door, and she could hear metal grinding behind it and talking.

                “Move out of the way.” Steve slammed the shield at the door handle and it broke off. Bucky kicked the door and it opened to an underground area. They ran down the stairs, and ran into Steve as he abruptly stopped at the bottom.

               In the middle of the cellar was a chair similar to a dentist’s chair. There were two lights overhead and a large metal table filled with tools similar to what you'd seen at the other warehouse. Strapped in the chair was Tony. He had a black eye and some cuts on his arms, but otherwise looked alright. Standing next to Tony was none other than Alexi Popov. Pointing a gun to Tony’s head.

               “I should have expected this eventually, though I didn't expect to see you so soon,” he said.

              “You’re trapped, Popov. Drop the gun and put your hands up,” Steve says.

              “We don’t want to hurt you... well no that’s not entirely true,” Natasha said, shrugging her shoulders when Sam shoots her a look.

              “Ah, that’s what you think. Look up.”

              Bucky glances up and notices the wire along the ceiling above them. His eyes flick to Popov’s and he notices a small black object in his hand.

              “It’s an explosive. He has the trigger,” Bucky said.

              “What do you want with him?” Steve asked, fighting to keep his voice steady instead of yelling. “And what do you want with the Scarlet Falcon?”

              “Oh, you are knowledgeable of Ancient Egyptian art,” Popov said, slowly backing away, gun still aimed at Tony’s head. “If you must know, the power the red diamond possesses should be a sufficient source of power to create a stronger group of super soldiers. Most of our scientists were killed in our last meeting together, in New York. Stark is a smart man, and he owes us. It’s only fair.”

              “Well you can’t have him. You are through. You’re not going anywhere,” Sam says stepping toward him.

             “Ah, ah, ah,” Popov said, backing up “One more step and I pull the trigger.” He steps back again and pushes something on the wall, and a panel slides away, showing a staircase. “I believe this is where we go our separate ways. Ta-ta for now.”

             Popov shoots one of the lights quickly and turns to run up the stairs, the panel closing behind him. Steve holds the shield up to the explosive and turns his face away, moving again once they hear the boom. Sam and Natasha rush over to release Tony from the straps of the chair. Bucky feels around the wall for the switch Popov used to activate the wall. By the time he finds the button, Popov is long gone. The stairway leads to cellar doors on the back of the building.

              “Damn it, he’s getting away,” Bucky said. “Kat, do you have visual on Popov?”

 

* * *

 

              You’re still staring at the building, eyes getting blurry with the exhaustion you’re feeling, when you see a figure run past the car. You squint and you think you can make out the shape to be Popov.

              “Well, Kat, do you see him?” Bucky said into your comm again.

              “Yeah he just ran past me. Don’t worry, I got him.”

              “Wait, no--”

              You paid him no mind and scrambled out of the car, running after him in the direction he went. Your heart is pounding as you run down the dirt road, but everything in you is telling you not to stop. So you keep pushing on until you’re almost on the main road. You can hear his panting at this point and the sound of the gravel beneath his shoes. You think if you were to reach out and grab him you probably could. However, that wouldn’t do too well, but that would be in vain; he’s much stronger than you. Taking him by surprise may be the way to go. What the hell, you think. Might as well give it a shot. With your last burst of energy, you lunged at him arms open wide and tackle him to the ground, landing hard on top of him. You scramble about for a minute but eventually are able to put a knee to his back and pull his arm back while pressing a knife to his neck.

             “I...got him...How do...you guys do this...all the time?” You asked, gasping for breath. You hear a chuckle over the comm.

             “Practice, _kotenok,_ ” Nat says.

             Bucky’s beside you the next minute, gun pointed at Popov’s head. Steve is there next and lifts you up, leading you over to Sam.

             “Get back in the van and wait until we get back,” Steve says. “You did good kid.”

             You figured you’d be beaming at that if you weren’t so tired.

             “Where’s Tony?”

             “He’s in the van, laying across the trunk. We’re waiting for pick up from the Quinjet,” Nat said. She puts a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, listen, he doesn’t look the best but he’ll be fine, remember that, okay?”

             You nodded. “Okay.”

             When you got back to the van, immediately, you went to the trunk. Tony’s face looked awful, you’re sure he wasn’t going to be happy about that when he woke up. But Nat was right, you think he may be alright, all of his injuries looked superficial. You laid a hand on his cheek and gasped when his eyes opened.

              “Guess I was the damsel in distress huh,” he said, his voice raspy and strained.

              You couldn’t help but laugh at that, not even realizing tears were running down your face until he tried to wipe your cheeks with his hand, but his arms were too weak.

              “Guess so, old man.” You smiled. “Tony, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at--”

              “KitKat, it’s not your fault. I’m just afraid of you getting hurt. I’m the one who’s sorry. If you want to train to be an Avenger, then you can continue to train. BUT. You are going to learn how to be safe about it. No chasing after bad guys in the dark.”

              You roll your eyes. “I love you too, Tony. Hush now, Tony. Get some sleep.” You didn’t have to tell him twice. A moment later his eyes slipped close. You were finally able to breathe, knowing Tony and your soulmate were safe. For now at least.

             

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Как ты думаешь что ты делаешь? - What do you think you’re doing?  
> держаться подальше от глаз. - Keep out of sight.  
> я всегда делаю. - I always do.
> 
>  
> 
> Wow, I hope this chapter was alright. I ended up writing it on my phone at work and editing it this morning (seeing as I'm always scheduled lately). Hopefully there aren't too many errors!


	11. Not According To Plan

          “Mmm, there’s a sight I can get used to waking up to.”

           You looked up and into the face of your soulmate. You’d been sitting by Clint’s hospital bed in the medical wing since you got back from the undercover trip in L.A. You’d originally cried for a while when you came back and Clint hadn’t woken up yet, but after some convincing from Dr. Cho and Bruce that he will wake up soon, you relaxed a bit and distracted yourself by reading and watching cheesy action movies.

           “Hey honey,” you leaned forward brushing his hair from his forehead. “How do you feel?”

           “Better now that you’re here.” A lazy grin spread across his face. “How long was I out?”

           “A little over three days.”

           “Hm. What did I miss?” He took your other hand in his and played with your fingers.

           “Oh, I just went undercover at a gala in L.A. and we stopped Popov who had originally escaped when you guys saved me from Hydra months ago. So, you know, just a Tuesday with the Avengers.”

          “What? I missed that?!” He pushed himself up in the bed and winced at the stiffness. “Tony let you go on a mission?”

          “Uh, not exactly.” You paused, not quite sure how to tell him. “Tony was taken by Hydra, and the team said I could help by going undercover at the gala at a museum they found an invitation for at the Hydra facility you guys went to. So I went undercover and put a tracker on Popov and we followed him to a Hydra warehouse to find Tony.”

           “She also tackled Popov to the ground when he took off into the night,” Natasha said from the doorway of the room. She was leaning on the door frame, arms crossed, a look of relief in her eyes.

           “I missed that?! Look at you, Kitten. A badass bad guy catcher,” Clint said. “I’m so proud of you.” He smiled at you and you couldn’t help but return it.

           “It’s good to have you back, Clint,” Nat said. Clint only nodded but held eye contact with her. You looked between them, and it seemed they were having one of their silent conversations. After a few moments, Nat gave a curt nod and walked out the door.

          “Come on, Kitten, help me get out of here.” Clint swung his legs over the side of the bed.

          “Whoa, hold it there. I’ll get the doctor to give you the all clear first." You give him a kiss on the cheek then turn to head out the door to get the doctor, but his grip on your arm holds you back before you could get too far, and pulls you to stand between his legs. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you rest your hands on his shoulders. You close the distance and your lips meet, kissing him deeply. It was a passionate kiss and held all of the love you have for him. You separate after a few minutes to catch your breath, and rest your forehead to his.

            “I’m really glad you’re okay.” Your voice cracks at the end but you refuse to cry now. He brought his hand up to cup the side of your face, brushing his thumb over your cheek.

            “I love you too, Kitten.”

 

* * *

 

           “Knock knock,” Tony says, walking into your room.

           “Whatcha up to, Tony?” You were folding laundry, feeling odd doing a mundane task in such a crazy tower filled with actually superheroes.

           “Well, I’ve been working on this project since we got back from L.A. I’m hoping you’ll like it.”

          “Huh?” You turn around to face Tony and in his arms is a catsuit similar to Nat’s Black Widow uniform. It was black with purple accents. There was a zipper from the middle of the torso to the neck. “Oh Tony, is that for me?”

          “Well yeah. I, uh… Look. I was harsh on you before. I shouldn’t have refused to let you train to be an Avenger. You really saved me out there, and from what I’ve heard, you were like a a mini Widow. You deserve to be on the Avengers. And I know you’ve been training with Cap and co., so I figured you should at least have your own uniform if you're going to be joining us on missions.”

           You threw yourself into his arms, and after he gets over the initial shock, you feel his arms wrap around you. “I’m so sorry about how we left things, KitKat.”

           “Tony, it’s alright. I blind-sided you and I acted a bit childish anyway.” You stepped back and took the suit from him. You turned it around and giggled when you saw the back. There was a purple outline of the cat. “Don’t you think you’re taking this cat thing a little too far?” You quirked an eyebrow at him.

           “Never.” He said, smirking, though you thought he looked a bit nervous. “You like it though?”

           “I love it, Tony. Thank you.”

          “Come on. Why don't you try it on and we’ll go down to the training room. I heard you sparred with Sam and he got his ass handed to him. I’d love to get a front row seat to that.”

          You were grinning for the rest of the evening, finally feeling like everything was falling into place. You have a family, your soulmate, and even a new purpose. Something you can do to make a difference and help people. As you walked with Tony down to the training room, you couldn’t help but be excited for what was yet to come.

 

* * *

 

_8 Months Later_

 

            “Now what do we have here?”

            Clint jumped at the sudden voice, whipping the small box behind his back as he turned around. Natasha stood in the doorway of his room, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. There was a knowing smirk on her face. Clint let out a loud sigh, relieved and slightly annoyed.

           “Nothing Nat.”

           “Out with it Clint,” she said, walking up to where he was standing by his dresser.

           “Fine. But I swear, Nat, you can’t tell anyone. No jokes, no references, nothing.”

           She quirked her eyebrow at him, waiting. He went to the door, peeking out to make sure no one else was in the space he shared with you. He turned back to Nat and held out the small velvet box he’s been stressing over for the past few weeks. Natasha opened the box and let out a small gasp. In the box was an engagement ring: a white gold band with an amethyst stone in the middle and two small diamonds on either side. It wasn't too extravagant or busy, but he knew you wouldn't want that anyway.

             “Oh, Clint. She'll love it,” Nat said. Clint swore he saw her eyes become misty but he knew better than to say something about it.

              “You think so?”

              “Of course.” She closed the box and handed it back to him. “When are you asking her?”

               He put the small box in his pocket. “Tonight. It's date night, but instead of going out, I had the idea to have a candlelit dinner on the balcony, just the two of us. I figured she would be less embarrassed that way, away from other prying eyes.”

                “It'll be great, Clint,” she said hugging him. “Truly, I'm so happy for you.”

                “Thanks, now I just gotta figure out what I’m going to say so I don’t end up sounding stupid.”

              The alarm in the tower went off then, signalling trouble. Clint grabbed his arrows from the desk and the two of them sprinted down to the common room to meet with the rest of the team.

             “What's going on?” you ask, as you meet Clint and Nat in the entryway of the common room. Natasha looks at you with an expression you can't decipher but you don't have time to dwell on it.

             “No idea, hun. Let's find out.” Clint takes your hand in his as you stand beside the rest of the team and listen to Cap.

           “Listen up. There’s been an attack in the city. They seem to be some form of alien creatures that resemble, for lack of better term, flying monkeys with blaster cannons.”

            Clint snorted softly at that but you still squeezed his hand and gave him a look.

            “Straight from Wizard of Oz, huh. Lemme guess, they’re ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West?” Tony asked. Oh well, can't control everyone.

            “This is serious Tony,” Steve said giving him the “Captain America’s disappointed” stare. “They've only managed to damage part of Grand Central and the surrounding buildings. We can still stop them before it’s too late. We’ll split up. Kat, Wanda, Bruce, you’re on civilian duty. Work with the local law enforcement and EMTs to get people to safety and help those who need it. Sam, Tony, Vis, we need you fighting them in the air. The rest of us will do what we can. We leave in five. Grab your gear and get moving.”

            With that, you all headed down to grab your gear and change into your uniforms, then hauled ass into the city to control the problem. When you arrived, it was chaos. Several buildings were damaged greatly and the front of Grand Central Station was almost unrecognizable. People were being rolled out on stretchers to ambulances. Firemen and the police were helping civilians out of their cars and away from the danger. Sure enough, flying overhead were ape-like creatures with cannon-like blaster guns. There were at least a hundred of them, swarming around shooting at the buildings and the streets below.

           The team split up and went about their separate duties. Just like every mission you’ve been on together, Clint pulls you into a quick hug and kisses you. “I’ll see you after. Stay safe. Love you, Kitten.”

           “Love you too, Clint.” You watched as Sam swooped down and picked him up, bringing him to the top of a building for a better viewpoint.

           You turn and go into a building, where EMTs were helping civilians out. You ran up the stairs going through the offices to check for anyone left behind. You made it to the fourth floor before you found someone trapped under a shelving unit. The north wall was blown in and there was debris everywhere. You transformed into a gorilla and lifted the bookshelf off the woman. When she struggled to move, you ignored the terrified look on her face, and gently wrapped your arm around her waist, pulling her out and setting the shelf back down. You shifted back immediately and tried to calm her.

            “Can you move?” you ask her. She shook her head and you noticed her breathing starting to become more labored. She was panicking. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s alright. We have help coming right now,” you say in the most calming voice you could muster under the circumstances. Into the comm, you say, “Is anyone on the ground? I need a stretcher to the fourth floor of the building south east of Grand Central.”

            “They’re on their way up, Kat,” Steve says. “Stay with them until they get there.”

            “Of course, Cap. Thanks.” You elevated her wounded leg, stacking a few binders together and resting her ankle on them. You chatted with her, trying to keep her calm, while you glanced outside to see what progress the rest of the team is making. A few minutes later, you could hear the EMTs making their way into the hallway. As they ran into the room, you prepared the woman to be transported but looked up when you noticed they hadn’t made it over to you yet. They had stopped and were staring at something behind you. You turned around and were face to face with one of the creatures. You raised your gun from the holster on your thigh to shoot but were too slow and it grabbed you, flying out the hole in the wall and over to the chaotic streets.

            “Guys, a little help up here would be appreciated.”

            “I gotcha Kat,” Sam says and you can see him not too far away. He swoops in to grab you but misses by half a second when the creature drops you and suddenly you’re falling, slipping through a hole in the ceiling of Grand Central. You morphed into a panther and landed, or rather crashed, on your feet onto the rubble. While not the worst landing, it was definitely going to hurt in the morning. There was a sorceress of some kind in the middle of the space, holding a staff and shouting directions to a few of the creatures. There was a large beam of magic and light particles coming from the center information and clock booth in the middle of the terminal. She turned to you, alerted by the sound you made, and you raised your gun toward her. She pointed her staff in your direction and shot off a magic bolt of some kind. You rolled out of the way dodging it narrowly.

           “I found the source of the problem. Sorceress in the middle of Grand Central,” you said into the comm, continuing to dodge the oncoming bolts and shooting back at her ape-like creatures. “Need some assistance. Any idea how to stop her?”

           “On my way Kitten,” Clint said.

            A moment later, you heard the familiar _thwump_ of an arrow and one of the creatures near the sorceress was shot down. Clint came barreling through the same hole you had, shooting arrows into the other creatures, but that didn’t last long. The sorceress used her staff to throw Clint into the wall near you.

            “Clint!” you yelled, which was a mistake on your part, as she magically bound you as well, throwing you next to your soulmate.

            “What do we have here?” She says sauntering over to you. “looks like I've caught a pair of lovers. How...interesting.”

            “Kat, we’re on our way.”

            “If you can, cover your heads. The Other guy is about to make an entrance,” Nat says.

            Not a second later, the Hulk crashed through the wall, distracting the sorceress. You took the second to swing your leg out and trip her. Hulk grabbed her leg and swung her around, slamming her on the ground a few times. You noticed the column of energy she had been focused on before start to dissipate, which you suppose was a good thing. Clint helped you up, grabbing the now broken staff, and you both follow Hulk out onto the streets. Hulk kept the sorceress restrained while you and Clint shot down the nearby creatures.

            “Looks like they’re dwindling down, Cap,” Sam said.

            “Good job, team,” Cap said. “We’ll get Thor down here from Asgard to help deal with the sorceress. Let’s finish taking out these flying monkeys and checking for any trapped or injured civilians and then we can go home.”

           You made to go into another nearby building, but you were pulled back by a tugging on your arm. When you turned around, Clint was on one knee, in the middle of the wreckage and chaos.

           “What are you doing?” you asked, voice only slightly shaking.

           “What do you think, Kitten?” He chuckled nervously, and pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket. He opened it and revealed a beautiful ring. Your hand flew to your mouth. “I don’t want to wait anymore. Honey, I love you. I love everything about you. You’re selfless and kind and so incredibly strong. You have a huge heart, and you’re beautiful. You’ve made me a better person and you put up with all my antics. And I would be honored if you would allow me to stay by your side for the rest of our lives. Kitten, will you marry me?”

            It was like the world around you had been blurred out and all that was left was you and Clint. Your soulmate. The love of your life. You nodded your head furiously, and you could feel the tears flowing down your face.

           “Yes! Yes! Of course I will.” He slid the ring onto your finger and stood up. You threw your arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

           “Hate to ruin this happy moment but we could use a little help,” Tony’s voice said in the comm. You both separated, chuckling.

           Clint gave you a kiss on the cheek then went back to shooting down the remaining flying creatures while you ran to help the remaining civilians get to safety. When it was all over, you ran into each other’s arms, where you belonged. You both live crazy and chaotic lives, nothing is ever normal. But with Clint, you feel safe and ready for anything and couldn’t wait to feel like this for the rest of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's a wrap! Thanks to those of you who've been reading since I started this fic. Not sure if I loved this whole final chapter but i still liked how it turned out. I have more planned for the future so keep an eye out for more fics if you've enjoyed this one!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so C&C welcome!
> 
> I love comments in general so thanks in advance! :)
> 
> Come talk to me on Tumblr! https://deamstellarus.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also sadly, I do not own Marvel nor do I own any of the Marvel characters.


End file.
